Futile Devices Scans

Yun Yazi had not only kept those words from Chen Yixin but had altered his memories, making him believe that his A-Hua was nothing more than a native spirit residing in the Burning Heaven Nether Palace. He had even erased all traces of Chen Yixin’s memories concerning Wen Renli’s presence.

Every tender moment Chen Yixin had shared with Wen Renli, even the mischievous memories of teasing the little sapling, had been wiped clean. The affection that lingered in his heart now appeared, in his memory, not as love but as gratitude—gratitude for the favors Wen Renli had once done for him.

Were it not for Chen Yixin’s steadfast conviction that his heart belonged to A-Hua, the fragments he could recall would have been far too meager to awaken feelings beyond friendship.

For forty-nine years, he had searched the Burning Heaven Nether Palace tirelessly. By every means available, he had tracked down Jing Zhihua’s soul—a journey shaped in no small part by Yun Yazi’s design. Yun Yazi did not trust the bond between Chen Yixin and Wen Renli, yet he still sought to manipulate that bond to make Chen Yixin serve as protector of Jing Zhihua’s soul.

For that soul, Chen Yixin had sacrificed much. To ensure its rebirth, he even transferred all the legacies of the Burning Heaven Nether Palace to it, laying down everything as a bridal garment for another, nearly misplacing his own emotions in the process.

Yet, by fortune or fate, after all the trials and tribulations, his A-Hua had returned.

“Could it be… he’s mistaken about something?”

Wen Renli’s face flickered with a hint of mockery, then softened. He tilted his head slightly, lips brushing against Chen Yixin’s hair, a sharp glint of protectiveness in his eyes. “A-Rong, fear not. Now that I have awakened, I will never let anyone harm you again.”

Chen Yixin’s heart had grown exceedingly sensitive. Though many no longer believed him—sometimes even he doubted his own memories—he trusted these words of Wen Renli, trusted this promise whispered to him.

“Good.”

Slowly, Chen Yixin sat upright, cupping Wen Renli’s face once more, caressing it gently as his eyes drank in every detail. That surge of emotions, long absent, filled him with overwhelming intensity. He leaned closer, lips pressing against Wen Renli’s.

Their noses touched, eyes locked, and their hearts beat in chaotic unison. Chen Yixin narrowed his eyes, biting down on Wen Renli’s lips, pressing forward with desperate insistence, as though he would swallow him whole.

A flicker of pain surfaced in Wen Renli’s gaze. He understood the unease that lingered in Chen Yixin’s heart.

He drew him closer, reciprocating the fiery passion while gently rubbing his back, trying to soothe him. Yet the fire ignited between their lips spread through them both, a blaze beyond control.

“A-Rong…” Wen Renli murmured softly. Chen Yixin lifted his gaze only briefly, then resumed a fierce, all-consuming kiss. They fell upon the bed, Wen Renli’s hair cascading across the sheets, and Chen Yixin pressed his body against him.

The kiss traveled from Wen Renli’s lips down to his neck, and further. Chen Yixin’s hand lifted to untie the silk band binding Wen Renli’s hair, letting it fall loose, their tresses entwining like river currents.

Chen Yixin’s eyes were faintly reddened, desire impossible to restrain. Wen Renli, still lucid, knew he ought to resist—this was not yet the proper moment—but in action, he allowed it, indulgent.

Finally, as Chen Yixin tore open most of Wen Renli’s robes and his own, Wen Renli raised his hands and enfolded him, binding him against his chest. “A-Rong, wait just a little longer.”

Their first dual cultivation could grant Chen Yixin great benefit, but not before he had resumed his training.

Chen Yixin’s expression faltered, frustration blooming. “How long? I want you now.”

His glare alone was not enough; he bit Wen Renli’s chin, reminding him, “AaLi, don’t you remember? You are my Dao Companion—we swore before our mothers.”

A century ago, they had been betrothed as Dao Companions. Now, even though he had married into the Li Kui Demon Palace, why could they not still be intimate?

Chen Yixin’s frustration morphed into suffocation, yet Wen Renli’s gaze remained unchanged, steady, even indifferent in certain ways. Could such a matter distress him alone?

“I haven’t forgotten. I won’t make you wait long,” Wen Renli soothed, his voice soft. His body restrained Chen Yixin with spiritual energy; beyond this embrace, he knew no other way to pacify him.

“Humph,” Chen Yixin huffed, releasing his hold on Wen Renli’s chin. He leaned against his embrace, his expression softening, though still tinged with lingering irritation.

“Humph…”

Wen Renli, helpless, tugged at the corner of Chen Yixin’s mouth. After a gentle kiss on his cheek, he gradually quelled the young man’s restless heart.

“I suspect Yun Yazi doesn’t know about the scheme against you,” Wen Renli remarked. He understood the past between Chen Yixin and himself. Should Yun Yazi awaken, if Chen Yixin were unharmed, all would be well; but should anything happen, not even the Jade Cauldron Sect would be spared.

Moreover, Yun Yazi’s manipulation of their fates might seem to him as concern for Chen Yixin’s welfare. But a demon lord who had lived countless years could never compare to an immortal lord of the upper realms. So long as Chen Yixin’s heart had stirred toward Jing Zhihua, Wen Renli’s awakening would be inevitable.

“But he deceived me,” Chen Yixin murmured, darkening. “The so-called teacher-disciple bond—how can it compare to the grand pursuit of immortality…”

In the cultivation world, Yun Yazi’s actions were hardly considered grievous. Yet to Chen Yixin, the filial bond between master and disciple had been obliterated. Yun Yazi was blameless; Chen Yixin’s resentment was not unjust. Each valued what they held dear.

“And you, A-Li… what do you value?” Chen Yixin asked, lifting his gaze to Wen Renli. His heart and nature had always been unrestrained, life and death subject to whim. From past to present, his only true obsession was love—for Wen Renli.

Wen Renli did not answer immediately. After countless years of life, he seldom contemplated such matters. Day after day, year after year, he seemed eternal, yet fated to solitude.

Yet Chen Yixin’s intrusion had painted his life with new colors—more alluring than immortality itself. Chen Yixin’s forthrightness was of his nature; Wen Renli’s composure came from enduring too much.

“A-Rong… I value you.”

Within the Burning Heaven Nether Palace, he had given Chen Yixin all of his spiritual and soul essence. His actions had already made the choice.

Chen Yixin wanted to show restraint, but how could he, hearing such words? His eyes curved in delight as he nestled against Wen Renli’s shoulder, laughing endlessly.

“I will remember what you said, A-Li. I won’t forget again.”

Overjoyed, Chen Yixin entirely abandoned his prior frustrations. Wen Renli released him to tend the room. Impatient, Chen Yixin followed, a little shadow clinging to his side, doing nothing but trailing him.

They lived in a secluded valley, and Chen Yixin had long since learned this pattern. His later laziness and picky habits had all been cultivated under Wen Renli’s indulgence.

After tidying the room, they visited Old Lin next door. They did not eat, only exchanged idle words.

“You two get along remarkably well,” Old Lin said, sipping wine. The town was quiet, few outsiders passed through, and the gossip was scarce.

Chen Yixin raised the hands they had clasped under the table. “Wen Renli and I are husband and wife.”

“Husband and wife,” Wen Renli affirmed, his gaze resting on Chen Yixin, the warmth and intensity now unmistakable.

Old Lin and his wife were momentarily stunned, though they said no more.

Chen Yixin needed no further witnesses. Hand in hand with Wen Renli, he repeated their declaration to anyone they met along the way.

“After nine hundred years, I’ll return and tell them again.”

All the chains in Chen Yixin’s heart dissolved, leaving him radiant from within. Were he not aware he was now over a hundred years old, he might have leapt about with unrestrained joy.

“Good,” Wen Renli nodded, utterly indulgent. In time, their wedding would be known throughout the Taixuan Realm.

That night, lying together, Chen Yixin grew bolder. This was A-Li—his A-Hua.

“When will your spiritual and soul forms be fully restored?” Chen Yixin asked, the question long pressing on his heart. To see them fade had left a shadow impossible to forget.

“My spiritual form has mostly recovered. The soul body still requires time.”

The span could be long or short—it depended on fate.

“I see,” Chen Yixin murmured, planting soft kisses on Wen Renli’s cheek, his obedience unfeigned. “May I see it?”

Wen Renli’s cheeks flushed slightly, but Chen Yixin’s earnestness disarmed him. He nodded, lighting the oil lamp. Together, they sat, Wen Renli closing his eyes. In moments, a tiny sapling sprouted from his brow.

The sapling remained as before, a mere budding sprout, yet visibly weaker than when Chen Yixin first saw it.

With tenderness, Chen Yixin cupped it in his palm, exploring every inch with the same fondness he had felt long ago. Memories might not have returned, but instinct and heart spoke a language all their own.

Wen Renli’s breath quickened, subdued by his spiritual power. Chen Yixin lowered his head, pressing a gentle kiss upon the bud.

Seeing Wen Renli’s slight embarrassment, Chen Yixin’s lips curved with mischief. He softly licked the blossom, unrestrained by past forgetfulness, knowing that with Wen Renli at his side, new memories would flourish.

“A-Rong…” Wen Renli’s breathing deepened. He raised a hand to stop Chen Yixin, but could not. Chen Yixin parted his lips to encircle the bud, looking up with innocence.

For once, Chen Yixin’s desire was shared; he could not burn alone.

After some time, Chen Yixin released the blossom.

“I have only tasted A-Li’s flower, and from now on, only ever this one.”

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