Chapter 46
Si Lan’s face flushed red instantly, feeling waves of heat rushing to his cheeks.
Last night, when he went to sleep, he remembered he hadn’t reverted to his human form. How did he wake up like this?
He wanted to push Haowei away, but was afraid of waking him up and making things more awkward. So, he carefully tried to create some distance. He retracted his legs that were wrapped around Haowei’s waist. Seeing that Haowei showed no sign of waking up, he continued to shift Haowei’s arm gently. As a result, Haowei instinctively tightened his hold on him, pulling him closer to his chest. Then, Haowei’s chin rested on his forehead, and a faint murmur could be heard from his lips.
“Xiaoqi.”
Xiaoqi… Was he calling him?
If so, calling him Si Lan directly would have sufficed.
Why call him Xiaoqi?
Could Xiaoqi actually be someone else’s name?
At the thought, Si Lan furrowed his brows, his gaze falling on the slightly prominent Adam’s apple of Haowei. He inexplicably wanted to lean over and give it a gentle bite.
“Xiaoqi.”
Haowei murmured again, his words slurred.
The more Si Lan thought about it, the more something felt off. In all the time they had spent together before, Haowei had never called him Xiaoqi. Why would he suddenly say it now?
Could something have happened to Haowei after he returned to the Heavenly Court? Was this the reason for his sudden change in behavior towards him?
Unable to resist any longer, Si Lan blushed deeply and, realizing he wasn’t wearing clothes, pressed his palms together to transform back into his original form.
In an instant, the slender figure in Haowei’s embrace turned into a brown-feathered wild chicken. Haowei’s arms fell empty, and his heart sank as he abruptly woke from his sleep.
“Si Lan, Xiaoqi…”
Haowei lowered his head and saw a “chicken” standing beside him, its big eyes resembling black beans, looking at him somewhat shyly. Startled, he reached out and pulled Si Lan back into his arms.
Si Lan remained silent, feeling Haowei’s heartbeat racing unusually fast as he lay nestled in his embrace.
Si Lan… Xiaoqi…
Hmm…
Quite affectionate.
But seeing his name on that Xiaoqi, Si Lan decided not to pursue it for the time being.
“When did you wake up?” Haowei asked softly.
“Just now.” Si Lan folded his wings around his body, clearly indicating he didn’t want to be too close to Haowei.
Seeing this, Haowei’s eyes flickered slightly, and he let go of Si Lan, sitting up on the bed.
Si Lan took the opportunity to fly out and perch on the window coffin, looking at the weather outside today. The sun was shining brightly, with crimson petals dancing in the wind. A few petals drifted through the window and landed on Si Lan.
Si Lan shook himself to dislodge the petals.
Haowei dressed and walked out, coincidentally meeting Yide Xianjun with a group of servants.
Yide said they were going to Yunchang Lake on Yingzhou to soak in the hot springs. Yunchang Lake was surrounded by mountains on all sides, and the spring water was filled with immortal energy, perfect for healing.
Upon hearing this, Haowei reached out and pulled Si Lan into his arms. “Xiaoqi, would you like to go soak in the hot springs?”
Si Lan nodded. “Gugu.”
“Alright, let’s go then.” Haowei smiled indulgently.
Yide looked at the scene of a man and a chicken in front of him, feeling inexplicably amused.
A noble and handsome man unashamedly holding a “chicken.” The “chicken” seemed somewhat unhappy, half-closing its eyes with a low aura. On the other hand, the man’s eyes held a hint of laughter and indulgence.
Leading the way ahead, Yide said, “Your Majesty, please follow me.”
Just as they reached the courtyard, a piercing voice suddenly came from afar in the corridor.
“Yide! You deceived me!”
In the next moment, a black figure dashed over swiftly, a long sword in hand like a silver snake directly threatening Yide.
Yide hurriedly dodged to the side.
“Why didn’t you tell me Ahu died!” Kuai seemed to have gone mad, disregarding everything as he aimed the sword at Yide. Unfortunately, he was no match for Yide, especially with Boling Xianjun assisting from behind. After a few rounds, they managed to restrain Kuai.
Kuai was bound and unable to move, but his entire body emitted an even stronger hostility. His blue and black eyes rolled bloodshot, his voice rough like gravel swept by the wind, extremely hoarse.
“I regret it deeply, regret loving you for so many years…”
Kuai looked at Yide, tears of blood slowly streaming down his face.
After hearing Kuai’s words, Yide stood stunned in place, as if struck by lightning.
Kuai roared, struggling to break free from the bindings, but the ropes were specifically for restraining immortals, and he couldn’t break them. As a result, the ropes tightened into his flesh, almost cutting through his body.
Seeing this, Yide wanted to use magic to undo the ropes and release Kuai, but Boling stopped him with a hand. “Yide, if you release him now, he will still try to kill you. He’s lost his mind.”
Just as Kuai disregarded everything to break free from the ropes, Haowei suddenly acted, delivering a palm strike that knocked Kuai unconscious.
“Kuai…”
Yide rushed over and found Kuai only unconscious. He quickly untied the ropes.
The ropes had already cut into Kuai’s body, leaving behind crimson blood stains. Yide’s eyes reddened instantly, gently lifting Kuai and apologizing to Haowei, “Your Majesty, please forgive me. Kuai hasn’t been himself ever since his last injury. He didn’t mean to disturb Your Majesty.”
“It’s alright, Yide. Take him down and tend to his wounds first,” Haowei said calmly, looking at Kuai in Yide’s arms.
Yide quickly responded, “Yes, Your Majesty. I’ll attend to Kuai’s matters first. Let Boling take Your Majesty to Yunchang Lake.”
“Mm.”
Haowei withdrew his gaze, carrying Si Lan, and continued on the road to Yunchang Lake. Si Lan kept looking back until Kuai was out of sight, then tucked his head back in.
According to Kuai, Ahu is dead… That’s why Kuai couldn’t accept it and went mad, wanting to kill Yide.
Thinking back to last night when Kuai mentioned Ahu, his eyes brightened. Si Lan couldn’t help but feel sorry for Kuai.
It seemed that Kuai wasn’t living well in this life either.
Suddenly, Si Lan recalled the Buddhist scripture about the tiger in the forest.
Good people don’t receive good rewards.
Bad people become enlightened immediately.
Si Lan asked Haowei through divine sense, “Have you sensed the aura of Yu Wuxia?”
“No,” Haowei replied, his brow furrowed.
He hadn’t sensed Yu Wuxia’s aura. Perhaps Yu Wuxia’s purpose in Yingzhou wasn’t the Heavenly Tail Finger, so he wasn’t near Yide’s residence. It’s also possible that Yu Wuxia had already left Yingzhou.
Si Lan hadn’t sensed Yu Wuxia’s aura either, attributing it to his own inadequate cultivation. But he didn’t expect Haowei to also be unaware of Yu Wuxia’s presence.
Could it be that Yu Wuxia had already departed long ago?
Si Lan folded his wings and sank into contemplation. Upon arriving at Yunchang Lake, Boling Xianjun arranged for servants to attend to Si Lan and Haowei, then withdrew early.
Throughout the journey, Boling Xianjun wore a worried expression, clearly concerned about Yide.
Once Boling had left, Si Lan and Haowei cast an invisibility spell and quietly returned following Boling.
“Why all this sneaking around?” Haowei couldn’t help but ask Si Lan aloud.
They could have stayed openly in the mansion.
“If we stay in the mansion, Yide Xianjun’s actions will surely be influenced by your presence. By leaving according to his wishes and then sneaking back, we can see what he really intends to do,” Si Lan explained.
Haowei never expected this little “wild chicken” to be so thoughtful.
The two returned to the Yide Mansion and searched around but didn’t find Kui. Instead, they heard the sound of Boling and Yide arguing.
Boling’s eyes were red, sitting on a bench in the octagonal pavilion. There were faint tear marks on his handsome face.
“I didn’t mean to tell Kui about Ahu’s death. I never expected his reaction to be so intense…”
“Boling, you nearly killed him!”
Yide stood beneath the pavilion, not looking at Boling, hands behind his back, eyes cold.
Perhaps Kui woke up later and hurt himself again; there was a long scar from his chin to his neck, still bleeding and only briefly stopped.
Boling stood up and walked behind Yide. “Yide, do you plan to deceive him for the rest of his life? You’ve seen it yourself, Kui only loves Ahu now. Can’t you let him go? Let him leave peacefully, let him be with Ahu.”
Boling’s words seemed to sting Yide. Yide’s expression gradually cracked inch by inch, his eyes freezing with a hint of blood, turning around to glare fiercely at Boling.
Boling had known Yide for many years but had never seen Yide so ferocious. Those eyes seemed capable of crushing his neck at any moment. Boling’s face turned pale and he involuntarily stepped back.
Yide turned away, his voice coldly echoing from above. “I won’t let Kui go. Even if he dies and turns into a vengeful spirit, Kui belongs to me!”
Boling seemed like he wanted to say more but seeing Yide walking away without looking back, he held back, sitting on the bench with a dazed expression as tears fell.
Silan and Haowei exchanged glances, then followed Yide. They saw Yide enter the administrative hall and handle affairs, spending the entire afternoon there.
During this time, Boling sent soup over, trying to reconcile. However, Yide furrowed his brow, focused on the documents, ignoring Boling.
Boling stood silently in the room for a while before finally leaving.
Silan lay on the beam, unable to resist whispering, “Scumbag.”
Haowei glanced sideways at Silan but said nothing.
“I wonder where Yide has hidden Kui now?”
Silan had a vague sense of unease. Kui’s madness earlier seemed like he didn’t want to live anymore. Now, locked up by Yide, he feared…
While he worried, he saw Yide close the documents and walk behind a folding screen. Silan immediately fluttered his wings and followed. Inside the inner room, Yide used magic to open a secret passage behind a bookshelf. Oil lamps lit both sides, flickering gently without wind.
Yide walked slowly inside, with Silan and Haowei following. Deep in the secret passage, they found a room that was unexpectedly identical to Kui’s room!
Silan couldn’t help but gasp. This Yide… could he be seriously ill?
Had he planned to imprison Kui long ago?
In the room, Kui was currently under a paralysis spell, unable to move, lying on the bed like a puppet, tears streaming from his eyes. His clothes were stained with blood, reopening wounds that hadn’t fully healed.
Upon seeing this, Yide first stopped Kui’s bleeding and applied medicine to his wounds.
Kui spoke slowly, his voice like wind through withered trees, hoarse and choked, “I was wrong, Master. I shouldn’t have loved you. If I hadn’t loved you, I wouldn’t have defied the heavenly rules to secretly come to the mortal realm to find you. I thought in this life, I would meet you before Boling Immortal and grow up with you. Maybe then you could love me… But I never expected that after seeing Boling Immortal, you would fall in love with him at first sight.”
At that time, Kui’s emotions collapsed, and for the first time, he lost his reason, questioning what Yide had taken him for.
Over the years, Yide had clearly been so attached to him, always needing to hold him to sleep.
Yet Yide told him, “Kui, I only see you as a father.”
Father…
These two words were like daggers stabbing deep into his heart, tearing apart his last tender place and shattering his final hope.
He never imagined that after caring for Yide so meticulously and wholeheartedly for so many years, it would end with Yide seeing him as a father.
It was truly laughable.
During that time, shortly after Boling’s return, all of Yide’s thoughts were on Boling.
Kui couldn’t sleep day or night, his hair falling out in clumps, his whole person like a walking corpse. It was Ahu who stayed by his side, helping him through those unbearable days.
Ahu would carry him and run under the moonlight, take him to see mountains, rivers, trees, flowers, and birds, showing him all the beauty of the world. When the Jinyun Mountain collapsed, Ahu shielded him with his body, falling into the abyss formation together. And at that time, Yide was comforting Boling in shock.
…
Yide heard Kui’s words, his breath unsteady, fingers curling, the back of his hand showing prominent veins suppressing his inner anger. Since he had known Kui, Kui’s eyes had only ever seen him, but since that day when Jinyun Mountain collapsed and Kui and Ahu fell into the abyss for seven days, when Kui emerged, he had changed.
Yide still remembered vividly how for seven days and nights, he had been frantic without sleep, like a madman, breaking countless formations in the abyss before finding Kui, only to see Kui with half of his face destroyed, lying in Ahu’s arms.
And Ahu had transformed into a man’s appearance!
Seeing them tightly embraced, his heart surged with overwhelming waves, yet his expression remained unchanged as he lifted Kui from Ahu’s embrace. He ordered that Ahu must not transform into a man’s appearance again.
He had thought this would dispel his lingering worries, until he noticed Kui no longer made soup for him every day but instead went to catch mountain chickens to stew soup for Ahu. Kui no longer personally made clothes for him but made various beautiful beast skirts for Ahu. Kui no longer secretly followed him to watch his interactions with Boling but chose to travel mountains and waters while riding on Ahu’s back.
Only then did he realize that Kui was gradually giving up on him.
On the day he truly lost his reason, it was when he caught Ahu secretly kissing Kui’s half-destroyed face.
Jealousy, long entrenched in his heart like a wild beast, surged through his body. He went mad, pinning Ahu down and beating him relentlessly.
Ahu was just his mount, why did Xiaohu have to think about Kui!
Why?!
He beat Ahu to the brink of death, but Ahu refused to give up, only asking him to fulfill his and Kui’s wish.
He sneered coldly, sending Ahu to Jiuyou to help the King of Hades kill demons. As long as he accumulated enough merit, he would fulfill their wish.
But what he didn’t expect was, a month later, news arrived from Jiuyou of Ahu’s death.
He had been hiding this matter all along, not daring to tell Kui.
Sitting beside Kui, there was a paranoia and possessiveness in his eyes that he had never shown before, reaching out to touch Kui’s half-destroyed face, “Kui, forget about Ahu, okay? If you like mounts like Ahu, I’ll go catch one for you. No, not just one, as many as you want, as long as… as long as we can be like before.”
“Kui, don’t say you regret it anymore in the future. I don’t want you to regret it.”
Kui closed his eyes as if unwilling to look at him, “Tell me, did you kill Ahu?”
“I didn’t kill him, I really didn’t mean to kill him, Kui.”
Yide held Kui’s hand, but Kui suddenly broke down emotionally. Though his body couldn’t move, his chest trembled as if something was about to burst out from within. Painful cries intermittently filled the air, echoing in the chamber.
Seeing this, Sizhan couldn’t help but turn away, asking Haowei, “Are you sure Yide will fall before the Ziyu jade plate? Why do I feel that it’s Kui who will die first?”
Haowei replied lightly, “Yes.”
Inside the chamber, Kui seemed to faint from crying, his chest movements gradually calming down, his breath stabilizing. However, Kui kept his eyes open, motionless, staring upwards as if a puppet without a soul.
Yide held Kui’s hand and said a few more words.
But Kui never responded to him from beginning to end.
As he was leaving, Yide bent down and placed a kiss on the corner of Kui’s eye.
This gesture had already exceeded the boundary of “father” as Yide had described.
After Yide left the chamber, Sizhan and Haowei approached Kui on the bed.
Kui seemed oblivious to the two of them, still showing no reaction.
Sizhan spread his wings and placed them on Kui’s pulse, finding that Kui’s breath had weakened a bit more, almost imperceptible. If this continued…
Sizhan raised his head and looked at Haowei, who understood his meaning. He reached out and touched Kui’s wrist, investigating for a moment before saying, “Kui’s life is nearing its end, and there’s no medicine to save him.”
Sizhan felt a pang in his heart. He hadn’t spent much time with Kui, but he felt that Kui was a kind-hearted person. Last time Haowei hit Kui, Kui didn’t get angry but instead offered him peach blossom wine to drink.
He looked at the grotesque wound on Kui’s left face, where the flesh and blood were destroyed; ordinary methods probably couldn’t heal it.
If it weren’t for these scars, Kui would have inherited Fanyu’s appearance, a peerlessly beautiful man.
Thinking of this, Sizhan spread his wings, intending to use his own blood to restore Kui’s face. However, before he could even cut his wings, he was lifted up by Haowei.
Haowei lowered his gaze, staring at him, “What are you trying to do?”
“I want to heal his face.”
“He doesn’t have much longer to live. Even if you heal his face, it won’t change anything.”
“But he has a deep connection with Fanyu, and I… with Fanyu…” Sizhan’s words were cut off by Haowei.
“That was a hundred thousand years ago. After experiencing reincarnation, you have no connection anymore.”
“Does experiencing reincarnation really mean you have no connection anymore?” Sizhan couldn’t help but argue with Haowei, feeling that Haowei was somewhat cold-blooded, typical of someone who had been in a high position for too long, considering everything in terms of pros and cons.
Caught off guard by Sizhan’s question, Haowei suddenly recalled their entanglement in the previous life. His eyes flickered, and he said reluctantly, “Sizhan, your cultivation hasn’t fully recovered yet. If you use your blood to restore Kui’s appearance, it might harm you fundamentally. Besides, if you really care about Kui, you should understand what he truly wants.”
Sizhan was moved by Haowei’s words and fell silent for a moment.
Though Kui’s half-destroyed face looked frightening, Kui himself seemed unconcerned.
What Kui cared more about were his blue eyes and Ahu.
Thinking of this, Sizhan asked Haowei, “Fanyu’s eyes are both blue, but Kui only has one blue eye. Could it be that Kui is Fanyu’s descendant?”
Haowei placed his hand on Kui’s forehead, assessing his condition, and furrowed his brow, “He is a manifestation of a drop of Fanyu’s blood.”
“A drop of blood?” Sizhan exclaimed in surprise. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult for just a drop of blood to cultivate into a form.
“This drop of blood was left on the tail of the celestial dragon, sealed within Yingzhou along with the tail. Later, both transformed into human form and thus began their entanglement over two lifetimes.” Haowei spoke slowly.
Sizhan looked at Kui, falling into silence.
As Buddha said, good deeds lead to good results, evil deeds lead to evil results.
But if that were true, why did the sword that injured Fanyu still affect him a hundred thousand years later?
Could it be that Yu Wuxia led them here to convey something to them?
Everything in this world wasn’t about sowing good seeds for good fruits and bad seeds for bad fruits. It was about cause and effect, but the results were unpredictable, unfair.
Suddenly, Kui coughed, blood dripping from his lips, his chest trembling slightly as if in extreme pain.
Seeing this, Sizhan quickly leaned close to Kui’s ear, “Kui, how are you?”
Kui’s eyes mechanically moved, turning to look at Sizhan, but his body still couldn’t move, his eye sockets shrouded in crimson, filled with endless grief.
In a hoarse voice, he said, “I’m fine… I want to see Ahu…”
But unfortunately, he couldn’t see him anymore.
Ahu had been devoured by the demons of Jiuyou, his soul scattered.
If it weren’t for him, Ahu wouldn’t have ended up in such a fate.
Thinking of this, tears streaked down Kui’s eyes.
“Kui, focus on recovering first. Perhaps you’ll still have a chance to see Ahu.” Sizhan didn’t yet know that Ahu’s soul had scattered. He could only comfort Kui like this, “It’s said that the deceased may not immediately reincarnate. Once you’re better, I’ll take you to the Underworld to find Ahu. At worst, we can find Ahu’s reincarnation.”
Kui suddenly smiled, a strange expression on his half-destroyed face, and uttered a “Hmm” as a response to Sizhan’s words.
Haowei infused some spiritual power into Kui, who managed to struggle out of bed, but his face was devoid of color, pale as paper. The scars on his face became even more pronounced, like ravines crossing half of Kui’s face.
Sizhan wanted to ask about the origins of the scars, but seeing Kui’s poor condition, he dared not continue, fearing it might upset Kui.
As Haowei and Sizhan escorted Kui out of the secret passage, Yide, perhaps sensing something amiss, hurried over. Upon seeing Haowei’s figure, Yide even forgot to pay respects and went straight to Kui, forcefully grabbing his hand.
“Kui!”
Kui didn’t struggle, just stared at him silently, as if looking through him.
Haowei looked at Yide, his expression darkening, “Yide, although you are the Lord of Yingzhou, you cannot act recklessly and imprison celestial servants at will.”
“Your Majesty, I did not imprison celestial servants recklessly. As you saw earlier, Kui is mentally unstable. I feared he might harm others, so I had to resort to this, confining him here in the study’s secret passage.” Yide defended himself, bowing his head slightly.
“Oh? Confined like a prisoner in the study’s secret passage?” Haowei lifted his gaze slowly, each word deliberate, his voice carrying more authority than anger.
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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Also, check out the other series we have on HoH!
If you like cats, check out Revenge of the Garfield
If you like dragons, check out I’m Pregnant with the Hope of the Entire Planet and The Dragon and the ‘Princess’
How about some mystery or showbiz? Check out Morbid Addiction & Perfection
What about the perfect, most non-toxic male lead ever? Laws of Love
How about MC nursing ML back to health? Forced into the Deep
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