Once Chen Yixin decided that he was not leaving, his heart settled, and their days resumed their familiar rhythm: body tempering, hunting, and learning all manner of miscellaneous things from Wenren Li. Chen Yixin was uncut jade destined for the path of the sword, while Wenren Li was the finest person to hone that blade.
In daily life, Wenren Li took care of Chen Yixin with meticulous attention, but once they entered the forest, he would not intervene unless Chen Yixin truly faced mortal danger. He also used ancient medicinal formulas that had long since been lost to the outside world for Chen Yixin’s medicinal baths, making the effects of his body tempering even stronger.
Ten years passed. Chen Yixin’s appearance remained unchanged, but his bearing had undergone a complete transformation. Whenever he held a wooden sword in his hand, his fighting spirit surged toward the heavens, sharp and intimidating. Only now had he truly crossed the threshold into sword cultivation.
Chen Yixin returned from the forest carrying ten black crystals. He walked over to Wenren Li, who was sitting quietly on a wooden chair beside the flower field, and personally slipped the crystals into the cloth pouch hanging at Wenren Li’s waist. There were several similar pouches inside their house, every one of them already filled to the brim.
After putting them away, Chen Yixin did not stand. Instead, he sat directly on the ground and rested his head on Wenren Li’s thigh, simply keeping him company. The scenery in their little valley was quite beautiful, but even the most beautiful landscape should have become tiresome after being viewed for ten straight years. Chen Yixin, however, did not feel that way at all.
He never tired of the scenery before him, and he never tired of the person beside him either. Perhaps living here forever would not be such a bad thing.
Wenren Li slowly opened his eyes and lowered his gaze to Chen Yixin’s hair. He raised a hand and gently stroked it. “You’re back.”
“Not counting the time spent traveling there and back, I was fifteen minutes faster than yesterday.” Before Wenren Li could analyze anything, Chen Yixin reported the result himself. He remained lying where he was, only turning his head slightly so that he could look up at Wenren Li.
“Mm.” Wenren Li nodded and said nothing more. Chen Yixin was improving every day, that much was certain, especially since his body tempering had broken through to another level the previous night.
“A-Hua…” Chen Yixin suddenly called softly, his gaze becoming entirely gentle. He reached out, took Wenren Li’s hand, and pressed it against his own cheek. “Does A-Hua think I’m good-looking?”
Chen Yixin’s face was mostly hidden beneath his hand, leaving only those bright eyes visible. But why would Wenren Li need another look to know what Chen Yixin looked like? He doubted he would ever be capable of forgetting the person who had entered his world in such an extraordinary fashion.
“You are,” Wenren Li answered.
Chen Yixin said nothing more. His lips curved into a smile as he released Wenren Li’s hand and instead wrapped his arms around his waist. He shifted his head slightly to make himself more comfortable, and his lips gently brushed against Wenren Li’s palm. The peculiar sensation made Wenren Li’s gaze waver.
Wenren Li raised his eyes toward the sky. His expression darkened slightly before gradually easing again, and then he continued gently stroking Chen Yixin’s hair.
Another two months passed. Once Chen Yixin had completely adapted to his body after the latest breakthrough in body tempering, he returned to Wenren Li carrying a black crystal the size of a fist. His eyes practically sparkled as he stared at him, all but openly demanding praise.
“A-Rong, come with me.”
Wenren Li did not take the black crystal. Instead, he walked toward the center of the flower field. The smile vanished from Chen Yixin’s face, but he still followed.
“The restrictions on the Fentian Nether Abode have completely opened. Even Soul Transformation cultivators can enter now. We have to leave this place.”
“Are you sure you mean we, and not just me?” Chen Yixin stepped forward. After only one glance at the sky, which had become entirely different from before, his attention remained fixed on Wenren Li.
“We.” Wenren Li withdrew his gaze from the sky and slowly turned around. He looked down at Chen Yixin and reached out to stroke his hair, but instead of withdrawing his hand afterward, he let it fall gently against Chen Yixin’s cheek.
Chen Yixin’s heart abruptly skipped several beats. He stepped forward of his own accord and slowly leaned into Wenren Li’s arms. Drawing a deep breath, he spoke with certainty, both to Wenren Li and to himself. “A-Hua, I like you.”
“And you?” Chen Yixin was certain that he had not misunderstood Wenren Li’s feelings, yet the moment he asked the question, nervousness still seized him.
“Once we leave the Fentian Nether Abode, we’ll form our bond and marry.” Wenren Li wrapped his arms around Chen Yixin in return. From the moment Chen Yixin chose not to leave, from the moment Wenren Li silently allowed him to climb into his bed, and through ten years of living together day and night, Wenren Li had become just as certain.
Chen Yixin’s nervousness vanished. His lips curved upward, and he rose onto his toes to kiss Wenren Li’s cheek. He was so happy that he could not resist kissing him twice more. “A-Hua…”
“Mm.” Wenren Li nodded. For thirty thousand years, his heart had hardly made its presence known, but now Chen Yixin’s affection had thrown it completely into chaos. He leaned down slightly, yet for a moment he seemed uncertain where he should kiss Chen Yixin.
Chen Yixin lifted his gaze and understood what Wenren Li was trying to do. Turning his head, he kissed Wenren Li directly on the lips.
They remained like that for a moment before separating and standing properly again. Wenren Li was habitually shy, while even Chen Yixin felt slightly embarrassed this time. Still, they were both grown men—there was no need to act coy. If they liked each other, then they liked each other. If they wanted to be close, then they could simply be close.
Chen Yixin firmly took Wenren Li’s hand, then turned and knelt before the sky, where faint cracks had already begun to appear. “Then there’s no need to wait until we leave. We can bow to Heaven and Earth right here. From this day forward, A-Hua will be my Dao companion.”
The moment he finished speaking, the cracks across the sky tore fully open. Someone was already attempting to force their way into this strange place.
Chen Yixin stood again with some regret, but soon smiled. “The ceremony may not be complete, but A-Hua can still count as my betrothed Dao companion.”
“All right,” Wenren Li answered. He gathered Chen Yixin into his arms and vanished from the strange place with him just before the fissure tore completely open.
After they left, two Soul Transformation cultivators forced their way inside. The strange place, which had previously remained relatively stable, suddenly began collapsing. The Soul Transformation cultivators emerged unharmed, but they were left covered in dust and looking somewhat battered.
Wenren Li brought Chen Yixin out, but did not immediately take him away from the Fentian Nether Abode. The black crystals Chen Yixin had hunted were no ordinary objects; they were among the few Inheritance Crystals that existed within the Fentian Nether Abode.
“Go. I’ll wait here for you to come back out.” Wenren Li brought Chen Yixin to a rope bridge near the center of the Nether Abode and spoke to him there.
Chen Yixin held the Inheritance Crystal and looked at Wenren Li. He had long understood the enormous gulf between them, and this inheritance could help narrow that distance. He had to go, and Wenren Li wanted him to go as well.
“All right. Then A-Hua has to wait here for me.”
Chen Yixin lightly embraced Wenren Li. After straightening, he had not even turned away before leaning in to kiss Wenren Li’s lips once more. “Wait for me.”
Wenren Li nodded and watched Chen Yixin step onto the rope bridge.
A short while later, he used the black crystals Chen Yixin had hunted over the years to set up a defensive formation before the bridge. The moment Chen Yixin obtained the inheritance, a phenomenon was certain to appear, and it would draw no shortage of powerful cultivators from every side. Wenren Li’s true body was still asleep in the Likui Demon Palace, and with only his soul form and spirit form present, he would be unable to contend with more than three Soul Transformation cultivators at once.
They had spent ten full years inside that strange place, but time there had actually been completely still. Whatever time it had been when they entered remained unchanged when they emerged. Yet once Chen Yixin crossed the rope bridge and began receiving the inheritance, nearly another ten years passed.
The longer it took, the greater Chen Yixin’s gains would be. Those ten years were exceptionally difficult for Wenren Li as well. Of all the black crystals Chen Yixin had hunted, he retained only the very first one Chen Yixin had given him; every other crystal was completely consumed.
“You old monster! My disciple is barely in his twenties. How could you possibly bring yourself to kiss him?”
Wenren Li and Yun Yazi each struck out with a palm, driving back a powerful cultivator who had attempted a surprise attack. Immediately afterward, however, Yun Yazi glared at Wenren Li as though everything about him offended his eyes.
The sight of Chen Yixin kissing Wenren Li before entering the rope bridge had nearly frightened Yun Yazi into falling straight out of the clouds.
Wenren Li had lived for tens of thousands of years, yet he had actually dared make a move on Yun Yazi’s sheltered final disciple!
“A-Rong likes me.” That was Wenren Li’s only answer to Yun Yazi, but every time he said it, he managed to choke Yun Yazi nearly speechless with rage.
Yun Yazi snorted furiously, then his expression turned serious. “There’s still a hard battle ahead. How confident are you?”
Wenren Li returned to the front of the rope bridge, sat down, and closed his eyes to regulate his condition. Only after a moment did he answer, “I will keep A-Rong safe.”
Whether he had confidence or not, he would make good on those words.
A clear, ringing phoenix cry suddenly echoed throughout the entire Fentian Nether Abode. At the same time, an ice-blue phoenix formed entirely from spiritual power circled above the central palace beyond the rope bridge.
Wenren Li and Yun Yazi rose at the same moment. Several powerful cultivators hidden in the shadows stopped concealing themselves as well and attacked with everything they had. They intended to seize Chen Yixin first, then find a way to obtain the inheritance from him.
“A-Hua!” Chen Yixin came rushing frantically out from the rope bridge, but the moment he reached its edge, Yun Yazi pulled him forcefully to his side. “Don’t interfere.”
Wenren Li was fighting nine opponents alone. The mere pressure released by their battle would have been enough to crush Chen Yixin to death hundreds of times over.
Chen Yixin was frantic with worry, but he could only obey Yun Yazi and watch from the side.
“Cough.” Wenren Li coughed lightly, and blood spilled from the corner of his mouth. He turned and looked at Chen Yixin, then glanced toward Yun Yazi. The little sapling emerged from the center of his brow as he uttered an arcane incantation.
“I purify all things!”
The moment the words left his lips, the little sapling shattered apart, and Wenren Li’s soul form dispersed with it.
“Ahhh—!” Chen Yixin tried to rush forward, but no matter how desperately he struggled, he could not break free of Yun Yazi’s restraint. He could only watch helplessly as Wenren Li annihilated all nine Soul Transformation cultivators—and as his own soul scattered along with them.
Yun Yazi touched a finger to the center of Chen Yixin’s brow, and Chen Yixin lost consciousness as well…
…
Back in the little courtyard, Chen Yixin had kept his eyes closed for nearly half an hour. When he opened them again, he had seen the entire sequence of events Wenren Li had shown him. Shock and grief surged through his eyes at once, and he threw his arms tightly around Wenren Li, unable to speak for a long time.
“I told Yun Yazi to tell you to wait for me. I suppose he never told you.”
Wenren Li’s soul form and spirit form had dispersed at the same time, but his true body still remained. Given several hundred or perhaps a thousand years, he would eventually awaken and recover. The injuries from that battle, however, had been too severe. Although his true body had barely regained consciousness a hundred years later, his spirit form and soul form had still not recovered.
“A-Li…” Chen Yixin’s voice carried a trace of bitterness. “My master… he never told me.”
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