“It’s just that I didn’t commit to the conversation, but left a little room.” Lin Xuanzhi lowered his eyes slightly. “I pretended to be in disbelief, but I also showed some wavering. I think that this Lord Yuxu will contact me in the near future. We might as well wait and see what he wants to do first.”
“That works.” Yan Tianhen’s eyes sank. “Actually, I want to slaughter my way to his door right now and slap this fake to death.”
“One more thing.” Lin Xuanzhi scraped the tip of Yan Tianhen’s nose. “Don’t let him know your identity. I wield the Zhige sword and became a Sword Venerable in such a short time, so it’s not hard to guess my identity. On the contrary, both your appearance and cultivation techniques changed, so others wouldn’t be able to guess your identity easily.”
Yan Tianhen nodded. “I know that.”
After all, the heinous crimes committed by Youshan Lingyu back in those years were too numerous to be recorded. Yan Tianhen didn’t want to attract trouble just over his identity.
Yan Tianhen asked, “Dage, who exactly can that person be?”
Lin Xuanzhi narrowed his eyes slightly. “Probably an old acquaintance.”
The appearance of Lord Yuxu brought Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen a lot of trouble. Yan Tianhen didn’t sleep well all night. He dreamed of Lin Xuanzhi and that fake Lingyu holding hands, while he couldn’t get over there, no matter what he did.
The fake proudly flaunted this, “I am the real Lingyu. Shixiong has already seen through your disguise. He will never be with you again. Just give up.”
But Lin Xuanzhi had a cold and cheerless appearance. He just looked at Yan Tianhen with eyes devoid of emotion, but he didn’t want to say a word to him.
Yan Tianhen then dreamed of the scene on the Phoenix Terrace in the demon palace.
He stretched out his fingers and gently stroked Chang Sheng, whose four limbs were chained down and who could only lie flat on the white jade bed. He couldn’t help being agitated when looking at the man who was like an immortal.
His fingers gently went down Chang Sheng’s face, brushed past his lips, trailed down to his Adam’s apple, and finally traveled along the collarbone, opening that irksome white clothing.
Chang Sheng had his eyes tightly closed the entire time and didn’t want to look at him.
“Why are you pretending to be so proper and aloof? Don’t you like this kind of thing, all the same?” Youshan Lingyu smiled happily, with some lewd meaning. He only wore an outer robe, but was naked inside. When he opened his eyes, he could have a panoramic view of the lovely garden.
“Shixiong really is violent, making that place of mine bleed.” Youshan Lingyu laid in Chang Sheng’s arms and whispered soft complaints in his ear, “This kind of thing really isn’t comfortable at all. Everything written in the book is a lie. I’ll kill off everyone who wrote that book.”
He couldn’t sit down, and even lying down felt uncomfortable. Probably because he used it too much, he always felt like that place had something there. It felt painful and tight. Inexplicably, he remembered the decadent scene he saw when peeking from the roof with Lian Hua that year. The teenager below and the man above clearly looked like they were in seventh heaven. Could it be that the teenager was only pretending to enjoy it?
Chang Sheng opened his eyes. His cold and dark eyes held an indescribable emotion as he calmly stared at Youshan Lingyu, whose face was full of grievance and anger.
“This is naturally the happiest thing in the world.” Chang Sheng actually hooked his lips into a smile. His voice was still a little husky and languid from the earlier lovemaking. However, his words weren’t tactful at all. “If the two are harmonious and mutually loving, then naturally it’ll be gentle, comfortable, and happy, but if it’s you and I — I regard you as an enemy and feel sick when I see you, but I’m forced to do such a dirty, vulgar affair with you. Naturally, I…… Won’t let you feel comfortable at all.”
Lingyu only felt miserable. His heart seemed to be pierced by something. Chang Sheng hates him this much.
He actually hates me this much.
No… I also deserve this.
Even in his dream, Yan Tianhen couldn’t help crying and woke up crying.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Lin Xuanzhi frowning and looked at him in worry. He even reached out a hand to touch Yan Tianhen’s cheek.
“Nightmare?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
Yan Tianhen stared blankly. The past life and this life appeared in his mind. He wiped his face, surprised at the tear stains. “I cried?”
“Just now, you were continuously shouting ‘Shixiong’.”
Yan Tianhen froze, stunned.
Lin Xuanzhi continued, “If I didn’t know that I was also your Shixiong, I would’ve thought you were shouting for Hai Kuanglang or Zhan Fengting.”
Yan Tianhen, “…”
“What did you dream of?” Lin Xuanzhi asked.
“I dreamed of those events in the demon realm. I dreamed that you led the Daoist sect’s troops and laid in ambush near the demon realm. When I sent you back, Ling Quechen stabbed me through the heart with a pole. He really was fearless. He wasn’t afraid that I would kill him.”
Truly, it was too painful.
Even after tens of thousands of years, he still felt the same pain when he remembered it again.
Lin Xuanzhi rubbed Yan Tianhen’s head. “Your dream really is strange. When have I ever bullied you like this? You really were dreaming, but didn’t even dream about my good qualities.”
Yan Tianhen hesitated at first, then realized something.
At that time, the Killing Heart Sword pierced Chang Sheng’s chest. The sword drawn from his own rib pierced his heart, allowing the essence blood in his heart to flow into the sword. What was also sealed in the longsword was Chang Sheng’s memories inside the demon realm.
Perhaps it was a defensive mechanism, but while he forgot the humiliating events on the Phoenix Terrace that were hard to accept, he unexpectedly also generated a set of new memories that shouldn’t exist but fit reality closely, which filled in the blank gap of his missing memories. In Chang Sheng’s memory, he remembered that he went into the enemy camp alone just before the demon troops launched the last major attack on the Nine Lands. He wanted to persuade Youshan Lingyu to stop.
Yet Youshan Lingyu refused.
After that, he left.
He left the same way he arrived.
Nothing ever happened in between.
There was no Ling Quechen piercing Lingyu’s chest.
There was no Youshan Lingyu imprisoning him on the Phoenix Terrace.
There were no intoxicating yet repelling memories. Even if he reincarnated, these memories still didn’t exist any longer.
“Yeah, I also don’t know why I would dream about these things.” Yan Tianhen smiled and whispered, “I also dreamed that Dage was together with that fake, and ignored me no matter what I did. Everything was the opposite in that dream. It must be fake…… It’s all fake.”
Events that happened and events that never happened — they were all fake.
Since it was fake, then there was no need to talk about it further.
Last night, Yan Tianhen sneaked over without Yan Zhonghua and You Ming knowing, so he naturally had to sneak back before dawn, but Lin Xuanzhi stopped him.
“Why act like a thief? I’ll go with you to see your parents. It won’t do to go on like this.”
Yan Tianhen, however, refused. “They all say that a wife isn’t as good a concubine, a concubine isn’t as good as stealing someone else’s wife, and stealing isn’t as good as getting someone who can’t be stolen. So, this is also good.”
Lin Xuanzhi, “…”
Yan Tianhen went through the window and left. Even though Yan Tianhen had a lot of strange theories, Lin Xuanzhi should naturally still visit his future father-in-law. Just as Yan Tianhen was dining with his parents, Lin Xuanzhi came over.
As soon as You Ming saw Lin Xuanzhi, he threw away his chopsticks and declared, “I can’t eat this meal anymore.”
Yan Zhonghua picked up the chopsticks, asked a servant to bring over a new pair, and placed it in You Ming’s hands. “What did I tell you before? Did you forget everything?”
You Ming gripped his chopsticks tightly and said angrily, “He wants to marry my son, like taking a wife! Can I endure this? No!”
Lin Xuanzhi said at the right time, “I can also marry into your family. I don’t mind.”
“But I do.” A voice that held some ridicule even without laughing traveled over.
Everyone in the room looked towards the door. Unexpectedly, they saw Lin Zhan walking over with a fan in his hand.
“Lin Zhan?”
“East Empress?”
“Daddy!”
Yan Tianhen was very excited and ran over. “Daddy, why are you here?!”
Lin Zhan pinched Yan Tianhen’s small face and spoke with a smile, “Naturally, I’m here to discuss your marriage with Xuanzhi.”
Lin Xuanzhi had a headache and couldn’t help thinking, All the parents in the world are the same.
You Ming stood up. “I’ll say. Lin Zhan, why are you getting involved in this kind of thing?”
Lin Zhan smiled. “I naturally need to participate. After all, this Huarong Sword Venerable and I are still relatives. Huarong doesn’t have many relatives in this world, so I will stay here for the time being.”
You Ming wondered, “What kind of family relations do you have with him?”
Lin Zhan said, “Our last names are all ‘Lin’. What do you think?”
You Ming’s eyes kept wandering between Lin Zhan and Lin Xuanzhi.
Lin Zhan smiled and told Lin Xuanzhi, “The East Sovereign has just greeted the Dragon Emperor, and he should be waiting for you now. You might as well go see him first. I’ll resolve the matter here.”
Lin Xuanzhi took a deep breath. “No need. I want to personally resolve problems with my wedding.”
Lin Zhan waved his hand. “You can’t handle it. What betrothal gift can you afford? A single Reincarnation Palace isn’t enough for them to swallow. At a critical time like this, you still have to rely on your own family. You can’t be looked down upon by your in-laws, now can you?”
Lin Xuanzhi, “…”
You Ming, “…”
I feel like they’re about to have a catfight.
Thinking about it, I actually feel a little nervous and excited.
Yan Tianhen beamed with joy. He felt that Lin Zhan was the most reliable person out of everyone here, so he pushed Lin Xuanzhi out. “Dage, hurry and go. The East Sovereign must have something important to discuss with you. You don’t need to be here.”
Lin Xuanzhi had no choice but to leave first.
After Lin Xuanzhi left, Lin Zhan patted Yan Tianhen’s shoulder. “Good Ah Hen, you can also leave and play nearby for a while.”
Yan Tianhen blinked at Yan Zhonghua and You Ming, made a face, and also ran away.
Since the younger generation was no longer here, Lin Zhan slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. First he poured a glass of water and gulped it down to moisten his throat. Then he finally spoke, “Before I came, I received a message that the West Phoenix Monarch Feng Jingyu has now sided with the North Land’s King Zhen, and he even took the resurrected Ling Chigu along.”
This news was no less than a bolt out of the blue.
“What did you say?” You Ming suddenly raised his eyelids, almost knocking off the chopsticks in his hand again. “When was this? How come I didn’t know?!”
Yan Zhonghua also frowned slightly. “I haven’t received any news about this either. The West Phoenix Monarch and Ling Chigu haven’t appeared in the Nine Lands for many years.”
Author’s Notes:
The two families’ dads finally meet each other!
Ea: Finally some news about Maomao and Chigu
