Wenren Li was visibly stunned by what he heard. He remained silent for quite a while before leaning closer and cupping Chen Yixin’s face in both hands. Their gazes met. “A-Rong is amazing.”
“Mm.” The confusion in Chen Yixin’s eyes immediately turned to delight. He nodded in wholehearted agreement, then lowered his brows and resumed thinking. But Wenren Li bent down again and lightly kissed his lips, so tender and lingering that Chen Yixin’s thoughts instantly dissolved into mush.
“A-Li, stop distracting me! I’m trying to think seriously!” His words were perfectly solemn, but his wandering gaze completely betrayed the fluttering, bashful feelings inside him. He shifted closer and simply clambered into Wenren Li’s arms before continuing to think. “Fine. I’ll let A-Li hold me.”
“All right.” The corner of Wenren Li’s mouth curved. He answered softly and did nothing more.
They remained nestled together like this for about one hour before Chen Yixin finally moved. He wrapped his arms around Wenren Li’s neck and pulled him down until their foreheads touched.
A point of blue light appeared where their brows met. Chen Yixin began transmitting the complete Divine Path cultivation method to Wenren Li. A full two hours passed before the blue light between their foreheads finally dimmed.
“A-Li, don’t rush to cultivate yet. I’ll organize some divine arts for you too. They all go with this cultivation method.” As Chen Yixin spoke, he slowly wriggled closer until he was tucked against Wenren Li again, extraordinarily clingy.
These divine arts were said to accompany the cultivation method, but in truth, they had all been created by Wenren Li himself in the past. He alone had cultivated them and he alone had used them. There might still be a few omissions, but what Chen Yixin could remember definitely amounted to eighty or ninety percent of them.
“All right. It’s just hard on A-Rong.” Wenren Li rested a hand at Chen Yixin’s waist, tacitly accepting his clinginess while simultaneously examining the complete Divine Path cultivation method.
The opening alone contained a long discourse explaining the Divine Path. It was even more detailed and easier to understand than what Immortal Emperor Fengtian had once told him, presenting profound truths in simple terms while every character contained the deeper meaning of the Great Dao.
There was always a difference between something complete and something incomplete. This was the truly perfected cultivation method of the Divine Path.
“It’s not hard at all. Being able to help A-Li makes me really happy.” Chen Yixin spoke softly and closed his eyes, continuing to sort through his memories. At the same time, one fingertip lightly touched Wenren Li’s brow. Each time he organized another divine art, he transmitted it directly to Wenren Li.
Chen Yixin’s little head could already be called the greatest treasure vault in all of Taixuan. Major divine arts, minor divine arts—there were too many to count. Eventually, he stopped bothering to distinguish whether Wenren Li had personally used them in the past and simply transmitted everything. Wenren Li could choose whatever suited him. Even the ones he could not use might still serve as references against one another, so none of them would be useless.
“What a pity… I understand all of these, but there aren’t many I can actually use.” By now Chen Yixin’s voice had gone from lively and vigorous to weak and listless. Sorting all the divine arts stored inside his head was an enormous undertaking. Even with Wenren Li helping him organize them, it still took nearly ten days.
“If A-Rong masters the Six Fentian Arts to their utmost, they’ll already be enough for you.” As Wenren Li spoke, he picked Chen Yixin up and carried him toward the palace garden so he could relax for a while.
“Fentian? You mean my Elder Brother? He really liked that title.” Chen Yixin rested against Wenren Li’s shoulder, longing and sadness entering his voice. “I wonder when I’ll get to see Elder Brother again… I still want to drink the wedding wine when he and Big Brother Lin Yu get married.”
“Lin Yu…” Wenren Li heard Chen Yixin speak about Qingruo from time to time and had already learned a fair amount about his life—a proud Heavenly Phoenix with extraordinary combat strength. But Chen Yixin had rarely spoken clearly about Qingruo’s partner, Lin Yu. And whenever Lin Yu did come up, Chen Yixin was usually busy being jealous of him.
“Big Brother Lin Yu is the clan leader of the Tianyu Divine Clan, and he was also the First Divine General of Yuxu Palace.” Chen Yixin managed to speak seriously for all of two sentences before the jealousy returned. “He was so annoying. Always fighting with me over Elder Brother. This time it was definitely him who made Elder Brother dump me at Yuxu Palace. Hmph!”
Chen Yixin turned and met Wenren Li’s darkened gaze. His mouth drooped slightly. “I know… it isn’t that I went to sleep and then they disappeared. It’s that I forgot they had already disappeared.”
“I’ll work hard to remember. A-Li, will you work hard to remember too? I want to find Elder Brother and Big Brother Lin Yu and the others again.”
If Chen Yixin had remembered everything, he absolutely would not have said such a thing to Wenren Li. But now, having forgotten everything that happened afterward, he simply followed what was in his heart and asked.
“A-Rong, are you truly certain that I’m the A-Li you’re talking about? That I’m Great Emperor Yuxu?” Wenren Li lowered his gaze to meet Chen Yixin’s. Both his expression and tone were extremely serious.
As far as his own memories were concerned, there was no period he remembered having forgotten. If he truly traced things backward, perhaps there were only the years before he had developed spiritual awareness. But back then… had that truly been him? Wenren Li could not be certain. Deep inside, he even felt a faint instinctive resistance to the idea.
“Of course. I couldn’t possibly mistake you. You are Great Emperor Yuxu, Wenren Li. I learned your name by secretly listening while you spoke to Father God Lingxu. There couldn’t possibly be another person in this world called Wenren Li besides A-Li.”
As he spoke, Chen Yixin leaned over and sniffed at Wenren Li’s neck. When he looked into Wenren Li’s eyes again, his expression grew even more certain. “Elder Brother used to dump me at Yuxu Palace all the time. I stayed with A-Li for a very, very long time. I could never mistake you.”
Wenren Li remained silent for a long while before finally nodding. “All right.”
Combining the current state of the Upper Realm with everything Chen Yixin had told him, most of those who had once been closely connected to that former “him” had probably met terrible ends. If all of that truly belonged to his past, then he could neither avoid it nor should he.
More importantly, Chen Yixin had asked this of him. He could not refuse.
Chen Yixin did not look particularly happy at his agreement. He knew the request was somewhat unfair. He wrapped his arms lightly around Wenren Li, his voice quiet but unwavering. “A-Li, I’ll protect you. I’ll stay with you. I’ll be with you forever.”
Just like the people who had once lived in Yuxu Palace, he would protect Wenren Li with his loyalty and his life. No—not only those things. He would protect him with his love too. Chen Yixin had already fallen in love with Wenren Li. He might have forgotten everything else, but he had not forgotten that.
“Mm.” Wenren Li answered. They stood holding each other in the garden for nearly an hour. Mentally exhausted, Chen Yixin eventually fell asleep directly in Wenren Li’s arms.
Wenren Li did not carry him back into the palace. Instead, he left You City and returned to the army camp. After settling Chen Yixin down, he went to the command tent. Hei Yu and Han Zichuan, who had already been there for nearly half a month, finally received a formal audience.
“Reporting to the Demon Lord. The Hei Yu Domain is willing to surrender.”
Hei Yu entered the tent, raised a letter of surrender in both hands, and immediately knelt. He had absolutely no desire to follow in You Ruo’s footsteps. The day Wenren Li personally killed You Ruo, most people had been moved by the depth of his feelings for Chen Yixin, but Hei Yu had simply been terrified.
Wenren Li had killed a Soul Transformation expert as easily as crushing an ant. Hei Yu had not even seen how Wenren Li attacked before You Ruo—someone capable of fighting three Soul Transformation experts without losing—simply died.
He had not seen Wenren Li in ten years, and Wenren Li had clearly encountered opportunities beyond anything Hei Yu could imagine. In the past, Hei Yu had still believed he could at least preserve his own life against Wenren Li. Now he no longer dared entertain such a thought. Surrender therefore seemed the wisest choice available to him, and one he did not believe he would regret.
Wenren Li raised one hand. The surrender letter flew from Hei Yu’s hands into his own. He read it carefully once, then nodded. “I accept. Qing Peng, accompany Hei Yu and take full control of the Hei Yu Domain. Go quickly and return quickly.”
“Yes!” Qing Peng and Hei Yu accepted the order together and departed. Aside from the Demon Guards standing ready for orders, only Wenren Li and Han Zichuan remained in the command tent.
Wenren Li had always been decisive. He understood Hei Yu’s temperament and abilities well enough that once he accepted his surrender, he immediately treated him as one of his own. Han Zichuan was different.
“What business brings Sect Master Han here?”
Han Zichuan concealed his feelings toward Chen Yixin extremely well, almost without a single leak. Wenren Li, however, was different from before. Because he cherished Chen Yixin, he had come to understand love himself. The few careless glances Han Zichuan had let slip had long since exposed him.
“I would like to establish a Divine Guard among the righteous path specifically to protect the divine scion.” Han Zichuan bowed slightly, seemingly unaware of the distance in Wenren Li’s polite manner. Once he finished, he waited for an answer. He believed the request was entirely reasonable and that Wenren Li had no reason to refuse.
“No need. I’ll see to A-Rong’s safety myself.” Wenren Li shook his head. Meeting the faint confusion in Han Zichuan’s eyes, he continued, “You’ve seen it yourself. A-Rong can now fight Qing Peng. What can truly hurt him will not be brute force.”
It would be things beyond brute force—for example, the schemes of human hearts, or painful memories from the past.
“A guard unit would help the divine scion gather the hearts of the righteous path, and it would also help the Demon Lord unify—”
“No need.” Wenren Li rejected Han Zichuan’s persuasion again. He naturally understood all those obvious benefits, but he still had no intention of using such a method.
“Those among the righteous path who are unwilling to submit will remain unwilling. What A-Rong and this lord want is to eliminate the problem completely.” They did not intend to leave these contradictions buried inside the future Taixuan, waiting to become trouble later.
Han Zichuan’s proposal was indeed sound, but what Wenren Li and Chen Yixin wanted was a truly unified Taixuan, one whose people from top to bottom genuinely accepted the same rule. The strong were honored, strength stood above all else, and overwhelming resistance by force was the real path forward. Chen Yixin’s title as divine scion was not suited to being used as a political shortcut here.
This war was a trial, but it was also a choice—a choice made by both sides.
Han Zichuan slowly nodded. “Understood.”
“One more thing.” Wenren Li narrowed his eyes. Both his gaze and divine sense locked onto Han Zichuan. “A-Rong is this lord’s Demon Consort. Mind where you look.”
Han Zichuan abruptly lifted his gaze. Before he could even clearly see Wenren Li, darkness swallowed his vision. The brief blindness struck with such terrifying force that his heart convulsed as though he had already experienced death once. Even with a secret treasure of the Tianji Sect on his person, Wenren Li was confident he could kill Han Zichuan within three moves.
Cold sweat continued rolling from Han Zichuan’s forehead. By the time he finally recovered, Wenren Li had already left the tent.
“My trial of love… my trial of love…” His love was Chen Yixin. His tribulation was Wenren Li.
Wenren Li had no idea that a single warning would transform Han Zichuan’s thoughts in such a way—or rather, make him finally certain of them.
He had no desire to spend another moment looking at this overly self-important Han Zichuan, whom he found irritating no matter how he looked at him. After saying what needed to be said, Wenren Li teleported directly back to the tent where Chen Yixin was sleeping.
Pale blue-green curtains hung around the bed, and steady, even breathing came from within. Every trace of displeasure from meeting Han Zichuan vanished as Wenren Li approached. He sat cross-legged beside the bed and placed his palm against Chen Yixin’s rosy sleeping cheek.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of his mouth. He closed his eyes like this and began cultivating.
Chen Yixin rubbed against Wenren Li’s palm, then shifted unconsciously little by little until his entire body was pressed against Wenren Li. Only then did he stop moving. When he finally woke from his deep sleep, he was still in exactly that position.
He slowly sat up, his eyes gradually widening. With trembling fingers, he touched Wenren Li’s face. Once he confirmed that Wenren Li had absolutely no defenses raised against him and would not easily awaken, Chen Yixin quietly relaxed. Then his hands started roaming again, gradually becoming bolder.
“Oh, this feels so nice…” Chen Yixin grinned and nearly started drooling from covetousness. At the same time, one hand caught hold of Wenren Li’s belt as he seriously debated whether to untie it.
“I’ll only sneak one look. Then I’ll put everything back on properly.” After saying this, Chen Yixin drew a deep breath and finally began.
He removed Wenren Li’s outer robe, caught the ties of his inner garment, and pulled them open at last. His own cheeks grew redder, his breathing heavier. “Silver Tree, Silver Tree… ah, just as I thought…”
Chen Yixin brought his face close to Wenren Li’s lower back and stared carefully. A faint silver phantom flickered into existence, but before he could get a proper look, the awakened Wenren Li turned onto his side, hiding it from view.
“Ah! A-Li woke up!” The regret on Chen Yixin’s face had not yet disappeared before it transformed completely into alarm. At the same time, his cheeks turned even redder. At least he was not entirely shameless about what he had just done.
“A-Li, listen to me explain…” Chen Yixin spoke weakly, but Wenren Li had already grabbed him and hauled him over. A moment later, Chen Yixin was lying face-down across Wenren Li’s thighs with his backside raised in the air. He immediately covered it with both hands in alarm. “A-Li, A-Li, it’s not what you think…”
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