Yan Tianhen felt his heart turn cold. He was so anxious that he wanted to cry and plead, but he couldn’t say a single word. He just made “ah ah ah” sounds, his throat so ruined that his voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing against the ground, terribly unpleasant to hear.
Lin Xuanzhi left swiftly with his back to Yan Tianhen, like a disappearing paper kite.
He scrambled up to give chase desperately, so desperately, yet Lin Xuanzhi just kept walking farther and farther away…
In the end, he was exhausted from chasing after him and wanted to give up, so upset that he wanted to die. Yet, within an instant, Lin Xuanzhi stood in front of him again.
Hope lit up in Yan Tianhen immediately.
However, what Lin Xuanzhi said next threw him straight through the gates of hell —
“Get lost ba.”
“Ah Hen, it’s alright now…it’s alright, don’t be afraid…” A gentle and familiar voice traveled into his ears. Yan Tianhen opened his eyes, muddle-headed, and saw the one stroking his cheek with a distressed expression on his face — Lin Xuanzhi.
Distressed?
Yan Tianhen felt a bit dazed. His whole body was both cold and achy, and he felt dizzy as well. It was all a little difficult to bear.
“Dage…” As soon as Yan Tianhen spoke, he sounded like he was sobbing. He burrowed into Lin Xuanzhi’s embrace, thinking that he was still dreaming. He pleaded, “Don’t abandon me, Ah Hen knows he’s wrong, don’t leave Ah Hen alone, I didn’t want Daddy to die, I’d rather that I was the one who died instead…sorry, Dage, I’m sorry…don’t ask me to get lost, I don’t want to go…”
How could Lin Xuanzhi have expected Yan Tianhen to mention Lin Zhan’s death? He was stunned and immediately reassured him, “Dage won’t leave you alone and I’ll never let you go again in the future. Behave…”
But Yan Tianhen continued bawling. He wanted to scratch his face, but his whole body was locked firmly in Lin Xuanzhi’s embrace with even his hands shackled.
Lin Xuanzhi could feel Yan Tianhen burning all over. He only thought of all the benefits that the medicine rain would bring to Yan Tianhen but didn’t expect that he would have to bear this much pain and regretted what he had done.
If he had known earlier, if he had known earlier…
Lin Xuanzhi suddenly took a deep breath and clenched his fist.
Lin Xuanzhi gently coaxed Yan Tianhen for awhile. Yan Tianhen fell sound asleep again after he exhausted himself from crying and making a fuss.
He slept for a whole day and night, during which Yuan Tianwen and Duan Yuyang had come over to see how Yan Tianhen was doing before being driven away by Lin Xuanzhi. As for the rest, Lin Xuanzhi frankly declared that none of them were allowed to approach them. Even Shen Rubing, who wanted to visit several times, was turned away — Lin Xuanzhi had set up a magic tool outside so that no one could easily come in.
Yan Tianhen only woke up the next night.
Actually, day and night were not distinguished in this mountain. The strange moon was always hanging high up in the sky, and the color of the sky remained a bloody pale yellow.
Yan Tianhen opened his eyes. His “Lingtai was clear and his entire body felt relaxed. Several blocked meridians seemed to have been dredged overnight as well.
However, his attention wasn’t on any of that. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Xuanzhi, who was holding him in his arms.
Yan Tianhen was somewhat stunned. Just as he was about to happily call out Dage, he suddenly remembered what had happened before.
Yan Tianhen instantly pushed aside Lin Xuanzhi, who was recuperating with his eyes closed, and jumped down, staying a whole three feet away from him.
Lin Xuanzhi slowly opened his eyes, adjusted his clothes, and stood up. “Looking at how lively you are, you should be fine now.”
Yan Tianhen stammered a little, “W-why are you with me?”
Lin Xuanzhi asked, “Where do you think I should be otherwise?”
Yan Tianhen felt like something seemed to be off with Lin Xuanzhi, but he couldn’t tell exactly what it was. His heart, which had gotten a fright, settled down, and his temper rushed straight to his head. He glared at Lin Xuanzhi, “Why were you hugging me? We have nothing to do with each other anymore, and we’ll be walking our own paths from now on!”
Lin Xuanzhi walked towards him.
Yan Tianhen took two steps back.
“Walk our own paths?” Lin Xuanzhi stopped. “Do you really think that way?”
Yan Tianhen’s neck stiffened. “It’s not like it could be fake?”
Lin Xuanzhi nodded. “Okay.”
Yan Tianhen was about to say something when his whole body suddenly felt tight — he couldn’t move any of his limbs. After looking down, he realized that he had been tied up tightly with a rope!
Yan Tianhen, “…”
Isn’t this too damn over the top?
What did Lin Xuanzhi want to do?
Could it be possible that he wanted to hang him up on a tree to give him a good beating?
“What…what do you want to do?” Yan Tianhen barely summoned enough courage to glare at Lin Xuanzhi and asked.
However, his confidence was lacking.
Lin Xuanzhi walked over, lifted his hand and gently pinched Yan Tianhen’s chin. He smiled. “Ah Hen, ever since I sobered up, I would think that I’ve never done anything to let you down. I would think of you whenever I encounter something good and have always prioritized you in everything. I spoiled you, protected you, and did my utmost to get stronger so that you’ll be able to do as you please and do whatever you want. Did Dage not treat you well enough?”
Yan Tianhen didn’t expect that Lin Xuanzhi would say all that. He was stunned for a while, finding it a bit difficult to speak, because everything Lin Xuanzhi said was true.
What was their disagreement about?
Oh, right. It was about Alchemist Zhongli asking him to ascend the mountains.
Yan Tianhen felt sour. “You don’t let me study alchemy under Alchemist Zhongli, and you don’t listen to what I say either.”
Lin Xuanzhi’s gaze darkened. He held his breath and asked calmly, “Are you that eager to leave me?”
Yan Tianhen had wanted to shake his head, but he grit his teeth. “You’re the one who asked me to get lost.”
“I said so many words and did so many things, yet you insist on only remembering the time I told you to get lost.” Lin Xuanzhi slowly raised his hand and gently stroked Yan Tianhen’s brow ridge, causing Yan Tianhen to tremble slightly.
“You want to leave me, don’t you?”
And again.
Yan Tianhen opened and closed his mouth, feeling particularly wronged. Why did it turn into him wanting to leave Lin Xuanzhi? That was practically a bogus accusation against him, the victim! He can’t wait to stuck onto Lin Xuanzhi all day long and turn into his little tail, can’t Lin Xuanzhi see that?
When Lin Xuanzhi saw that he was silent, he thought that he had guessed right.
He was somewhat dazed, but after a moment, still said softly, “After leaving Pill Limit Mysterious Land, I’ll send you up the mountains. Alchemist Zhongli will be a good master. Follow him and study alchemy well, after that…after that, go and do whatever you want ba.”
Yan Tianhen was stunned at once.
His heart twisted uncomfortably. He would rather Lin Xuanzhi get mad at him now than see such a Lin Xuanzhi!
Lin Xuanzhi loosened the Demon Binding Rope around Yan Tianhen, then turned around as he prepared to leave, but Yan Tianhen suddenly lunged at him from the back and hugged him.
Yan Tianhen’s grievances almost gushed out. He couldn’t stop his tears from running amok, “Dage, I know that I was wrong, don’t chase me away, don’t abandon me, I don’t want to go up the mountains anymore, I don’t wish to go up the mountains anymore, I didn’t say all those horrible things on purpose…no, I did say all those horrible things on purpose to piss you off, wuwu…Dage I’m sorry, Dage don’t not want me wuwuwu…Ah Hen doesn’t want to leave you, Ah Hen only wants Dage, I don’t want anything else waaahhhh…”
Yan Tianhen wailed noisily. Lin Xuanzhi felt both helpless and upset when he heard it. When facing Yan Tianhen, he was never able to maintain a calm and indifferent demeanour.
When Yan Tianhen didn’t get any response from Lin Xuanzhi, he panicked and continued, “Oh right, Daddy said to get you to take care of me. Even if you were to treat me as an outsider, a servant, or a burden, you still have to listen to Daddy’s words; you can’t throw me away! Otherwise, even if Daddy is in the underworld, he’ll be very angry!”
“A servant and a burden?” A dark glint flashed through Lin Xuanzhi’s eyes. He turned around and looked down at Yan Tianhen, who had tears hanging on his eyelashes. He smiled and mocked his own self, “Do you know who, exactly, you are to me in my heart?”
Yan Tianhen instinctively felt that such a Lin Xuanzhi could inexplicably take people’s souls away, but he was too good-looking, to the point that people can’t bear to shift their sight away or to escape.
Yan Tianhen said with slight apprehension, “I don’t know.”
“Of course you don’t know.” Lin Xuanzhi took another half a step forward and reached out to hold the back of Yan Tianhen’s head.
Yan Tianhen thought that Lin Xuanzhi wanted to hug him, so just as he was about to reach out and hug Lin Xuanzhi’s waist, when a shadow suddenly fell. His lips stuck onto another pair of soft things.
Yan Tianhen’s mind went blank in an instant. He couldn’t think of anything for a moment.
Lin Xuanzhi was kissing him.
Lin Xuanzhi was kissing his lips.
Daddy said before that only couples can kiss each other on the lips.
“I regard you as my Dao companion.” Lin Xuanzhi didn’t go deep. He bent down and looked into Yan Tianhen’s eyes on the same level. He looked at his beautiful eyes that were still in a trance. “I want to lock you to my side so that it would be difficult for you to even be an inch away from me. I want to kiss you, hug you, I want you. I don’t just want to be your Dage, I want to be your husband, your man. Do you understand?”
Yan Tianhen’s face flushed red in an instant. Of course he could understand what Lin Xuanzhi was talking about! After the initial shock, he gradually understood what Lin Xuanzhi was trying to express!
But…but weren’t they brothers?
If brothers did this, then wouldn’t it…wouldn’t it be considered incest?
Yan Tianhen’s face turned pale immediately. He was so suppressed by this aggressive and imposing Lin Xuanzhi that he could hardly breathe. He didn’t know where he got the strength from, but when the blood rushed to his brain, he withdrew both hands and pushed Lin Xuanzhi harshly, then ran outside without looking back.
Lin Xuanzhi didn’t chase him.
He looked at Yan Tianhen’s receding back figure and, on his face that had always been indifferent and elegant, a pained and sorrowful expression slowly appeared.
“He pushed me away.” Lin Xuanzhi said lightly, “He’s not willing.”
Soul Bead had apparently also gotten quite a large fright. After half a day passed, he said, “Why did you kiss him so suddenly? You should have waited for at least another two years. You’ve just bullied the kid, so he had his guard up against you. You’re so bad at picking the right timing.”
“I couldn’t endure it anymore.” Lin Xuanzhi closed his eyes, smiling bitterly. He sighed, “Do you know? While he was sleeping, he recalled quite a lot of things that happened in his past life.”
Yan Tianhen’s intermittent words weren’t only related to Lin Zhan; he had even said repeatedly ‘I didn’t kill Leng Jixue’.
Lin Xuanzhi felt like he fell straight into an ice cave.
Soul Bead was stunned. “Don’t tell me those nightmares have actually happened before?”
“In my past life, I treated him very badly.” Lin Xuanzhi slowly opened his eyes. “I was afraid that he would come to recall it all one day, that he would hate me to death. I couldn’t wait any longer.”
“But do you think he’ll be able to accept you by expressing your feelings to him now?” Soul Bead still disagreed with how Lin Xuanzhi had frightened that kid so early.
—
