Futile Devices Scans

Elio’s Notes: Here’s a double treat for you guys. It’s supposed to be a triple release but chapter 23 is so long, like 3x the length of a usual chapter. I’ll post that chapter once I’m done. Thanks for reading!

Wenren Li lowered his gaze to look at Chen Yixin. A faint flush colored his cheeks, yet he could also sense the gravity beneath those words. Slowly, he leaned closer, pressing a kiss upon Chen Yixin’s lips, before drawing both him and the little sapling into his embrace.

“As A-Rong says, so it shall be.”

Even he himself found it perplexing at times—this singular affection and indulgence he reserved solely for Chen Yixin. Yet the truth remained as it was; since it was so, then so it would be.

At those words, Chen Yixin’s eyes curved with delight. As though offering a reward, he placed a light kiss upon Wenren Li’s neck. “Good boy, A-Hua.”

They lay back upon the bed once more. Wenren Li glanced at the small sapling still clutched tightly in Chen Yixin’s palm. He had half a mind to retrieve it, yet Chen Yixin clearly had not had his fill. With that innocent, untainted gaze fixed upon him, Wenren Li could only swallow the words at the tip of his tongue.

But Chen Yixin was still mortal. After holding it for a while, he drifted off to sleep. Only then did Wenren Li withdraw the sapling’s spiritual form back into his brow, into the sea of consciousness. He gently ruffled Chen Yixin’s hair, and at last, a trace of vexation surfaced upon his face.

In thirty thousand years, Chen Yixin was the only person he had ever come to love. Faced with such tender provocations, how could he feel nothing? And yet, time and again, his restraint grew ever more difficult.

Holding Chen Yixin in his arms, he did not sleep. Instead, his thoughts turned in earnest toward how they might soon begin dual cultivation.

Chen Yixin slept soundly through the night, free of dreams. When he awoke, he was greeted by the porridge Wenren Li had prepared. After eating, he trailed closely behind him, never more than half a step away.

As Wenren Li sorted medicinal herbs, Chen Yixin found a meditation cushion and sat quietly. He did nothing but watch Wenren Li—his brows relaxed, his lips curved in a soft smile, his beauty laid bare without reservation before him.

“A-Rong, come here,” Wenren Li called, tossing the spiritual materials into the alchemical cauldron.

Chen Yixin glanced at the fire, then at Wenren Li, and immediately abandoned the cloud-stuffed cushion. Taking a few steps, he threw himself into Wenren Li’s arms, stealing another kiss upon his lips. “Did A-Li miss me, that you called for me?”

This time, that was not the reason. Wenren Li did not answer. Instead, he took Chen Yixin’s hand and lightly cut his fingertip. A bead of blood welled forth and flew into the cauldron. Then he lowered his head and kissed Chen Yixin again, soothing him at last.

Chen Yixin pressed his lips together, a slight arch rising at his brow. Wenren Li truly knew how to handle him.

“Hmph,” Chen Yixin snorted softly, then leaned back into Wenren Li’s embrace, closing his eyes, wholly savoring every moment they shared.

After a while, his eyes opened slightly. Wenren Li gently licked his fingertip; the trace of blood vanished, yet the lingering ticklish warmth spread from his finger straight into his heart.

Chen Yixin shot him a quiet glare before closing his eyes again. They could not even share a bed in truth, and yet Wenren Li still teased him deliberately—he wanted to be angry, yet found himself unable to truly resent him.

Wenren Li noticed the glare, yet could not discern its true cause. He simply held Chen Yixin and refined the pill with his divine sense. Only after ten full days did he complete the alchemy.

Yet on the day the pills were finished, he still brought Chen Yixin into the alchemy chamber.

“A-Rong, I will now lift the seal within your sea of consciousness.”

Chen Yixin nodded, tightening his grip on Wenren Li’s hand. “Alright.”

He understood well what this meant. Once the seal was undone, the curse within his Sea of Consciousness would once more bind his soul, bringing with it pain beyond ordinary endurance.

“I am not afraid of pain,” Chen Yixin said with a smile. Though he spoke lightly, the hatred within him deepened all the more. The suffering he endured today—one day, others would repay it a hundredfold.

Wenren Li gently caressed his cheek, a vial of pills appearing in his palm. “Fool. With me here, how could I allow A-Rong to suffer?”

A single pill would suffice to ease two or three days of pain. He had refined far more than necessary—there would never come a day when Chen Yixin lacked medicine.

Yet Chen Yixin shook his head. Even so, he tucked a vial into his robes. “If I cannot endure it, I will take one. A-Li, you should understand—some hardships I cannot avoid.”

He could not remain forever beneath Wenren Li’s protection, nor did he wish to. He longed for the day they could stand side by side, facing their enemies together. More importantly, Wenren Li’s identity as one born as a demonic fetus stirred a vague sense of urgency within him—driving him to grow stronger, faster.

Wenren Li’s brows knit slightly. Meeting Chen Yixin’s resolute gaze, he finally nodded. “Very well.”

Chen Yixin straightened his posture. Without further hesitation, Wenren Li cast several incantations into his brow. The seal suppressing the curse shattered instantly.

Chen Yixin let out a muffled groan. The faint flush on his face drained away, turning deathly pale. Bracing himself against the ground, he endured the overwhelming agony.

Wenren Li did not force any medicine upon him, nor did he step forward to comfort him. He simply sat there, unmoving, watching without blinking—though within his eyes flickered many dangerously dark emotions.

It took Chen Yixin more than half an hour to barely acclimate to the pain. His limbs stiff, he shifted slightly—only to be gathered into Wenren Li’s arms in the next moment.

Having no strength left, he ceased struggling and leaned weakly against Wenren Li’s chest, glancing at his rigid profile.

“A-Li… I’m sorry…”

He knew well that witnessing his suffering would not leave Wenren Li unaffected. Yet beyond this apology, his resolve would not change.

Wenren Li glanced down at him, as though puzzled by the apology. Carrying him back to the chamber, he laid him upon the Weaving Cloud bedding. Before Chen Yixin could say anything further, Wenren Li had already left.

Only after two quarters of an hour did he return.

Lifting Chen Yixin once more, Wenren Li took three strides and exited the small town. Three more steps, and they arrived at the small earthen slope where Chen Yixin had once uncovered a tunnel. Though the passage had long been buried beneath sand, Wenren Li waved his hand—and an entrance appeared once more.

“This… is the other entrance I did not choose before…”

“There were two paths. Back then, I followed the one the little sapling guided me to—this is the other.”

“Mm.” Wenren Li gave a quiet reply. Without further word, he stepped forward, carrying Chen Yixin into the depths.

“Each entrance leads to a Land of Inheritance. Once the Inheritance Crystal within is obtained, that entrance will vanish forever.”

Chen Yixin nodded. He already understood why Wenren Li had brought him here. He had once acquired an Inheritance Crystal before—now he was to obtain another. Wenren Li intended to send him once more into the Central Palace.

“Within the inheritance of the Burning Heaven Nether Palace, there is a technique known as the Burning Heaven Art. You must learn it. When you undergo the infusion of inheritance, the curse art within your Sea of Consciousness will be dispelled along with it.”

As they spoke, they passed once more through the Tunnel of Strange Winds. The place they arrived at was entirely different from that bizarre realm before—this chamber was only the size of a single grand hall. Around them stood six crystalline mirrors, within which illusory figures flickered from time to time.

Wenren Li set Chen Yixin down, then found a place to sit and regulate his breathing, making no move to interfere with Chen Yixin’s acquisition of the inheritance. Nor did Chen Yixin require his assistance for such a matter.

Yet he did not immediately investigate the mysteries of the six mirrors. Instead, he crouched beside Wenren Li, first reaching out to stroke his hair, then his cheek—before finally leaning in to press a kiss upon his lips.

“A-Li, don’t be angry with me. I won’t be happy otherwise.”

“I am not.” Wenren Li opened his eyes. As Chen Yixin leaned in to kiss him again, he drew him into his arms and returned the kiss.

“What is it?” Chen Yixin raised a brow, displeased by Wenren Li’s sudden distraction. He made no move to stand, instead tightening his arms around him, clearly intent on clinging there until he received an explanation.

“Others have also intruded into different Lands of Inheritance. It matters not—we shall retrieve them shortly.”

To speak of plundering in such an elegant and unruffled manner delighted Chen Yixin greatly. He lingered against Wenren Li, stealing several more kisses before finally releasing him and rising to his feet, turning his attention to the six mirrors.

Chen Yixin’s perception and insight were beyond question. Yet when he finally discerned their secret, his expression darkened slightly.

“They actually want me to learn… dancing…”

He cast a glance back at Wenren Li, who sat with eyes closed, then turned again to carefully observe the illusory figures within the mirrors.

He began with the opening stance, then moved on to the footwork. The more he studied, the more he sensed the profound mysteries hidden within these movements. Though the dance appeared graceful and supple, every motion concealed killing intent, suffused with a faint resonance of the Great Dao.

After completing a full sequence, Chen Yixin lightly tugged at his trouser leg. “It feels like something is missing…”

At that moment, Wenren Li stepped forward. Kneeling, he tied a blue bell strung on a red cord around Chen Yixin’s left ankle. This was a high-grade magical artifact that Wenren Li had refined within the Demon Palace—delicate in appearance, yet astonishing in power. For now, however, Chen Yixin could only wear it as an ornament.

Chen Yixin did not mind dancing for Wenren Li. He bent slightly at the waist, pressing a gentle kiss to Wenren Li’s brow, then stepped back and began to dance.

He did not follow the mirror images exactly. Instead, he moved as his heart willed. Compared to the hidden killing intent of his earlier practice, his current dance carried a lingering tenderness—soft, entwined, and full of emotion.

Yet even as he danced, there was nothing effeminate about him. He was as swift as the wind, vibrant and alive—like a young phoenix in the midst of a courtship display.

Wenren Li stood transfixed, utterly unable to tear his gaze away. Though he had already used spiritual power to steady himself, his heartbeat refused to slow. It was not that his cultivation had faltered, but that Chen Yixin’s dance itself had begun to influence his spiritual energy.

Reaching the edge of the mirrors, Chen Yixin slowly lowered his raised hand. As his foot lifted, a clear, melodious chime rang out. Step by step, he approached Wenren Li, the smile upon his lips and brows brimming with a captivating allure.

He stopped two paces before him, tilting his chin slightly upward, casting a sidelong glance.

“Well? Is it pleasing to the eye?”

“Very,” Wenren Li replied with a nod.

At once, Chen Yixin’s smile blossomed into radiance.

In that instant, the six mirrors simultaneously released beams of spiritual light, engulfing both Chen Yixin and Wenren Li. When the brilliance faded, nothing outward seemed changed—save for a faint azure imprint now lingering upon Chen Yixin’s brow.

The inheritance of this Land of Inheritance had already been obtained.

Not an Inheritance Crystal—but an Inheritance Mark, something that appeared only when one had fully mastered the inheritance.

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