Yan Jianlan didn’t think anything was wrong with him; he was just purely too tired. A period of rest would be fine.
Normally, Yan Jianlan would wake up around the chen hour. Back when he spent six years with Yu Tuishan on the Evil Qi Road, sometimes he wouldn’t rest for half a month straight and still remain energetic.
But since the day Tianyan was destroyed, the breath Yan Jianlan released seemed a bit excessive. Even with the “bonding ceremony” carrot dangling in front of him, he would rest after every step.
The second day after returning from Zhuxing Zhai, Yan Jianlan stayed in bed until the si hour before barely waking up. He had planned to find Fu Man, but since he was so late, Fu Man had to run over to Xiezhi Sect himself.
To remake the Spirit Mustard, Yan Jianlan forced himself to rally his spirits.
“I want…” Previously, Yan Jianlan had fantasized with Sheng Jiao about what their future cave abode would be like, but now when asked to say it, his mind went completely blank.
He suddenly didn’t know what he wanted anymore.
Fu Man asked in confusion: “What?”
“Osmanthus tree,” Yan Jianlan said dryly. “I want to plant an osmanthus tree.”
“Oh.” Fu Man didn’t understand. “Plant an osmanthus tree, and then?”
Yan Jianlan was stumped.
All his previous fantasies seemed to have lost their memory in an instant. He forgot the happiness he felt when fantasizing or daydreaming. His heart felt like it had a huge hole punched through it, hollow and windy inside.
“I don’t know…” Yan Jianlan murmured. “I don’t remember.”
Fu Man said in confusion: “But yesterday you said you’d already thought it through?”
Yan Jianlan was like a child who had done something wrong, brows tightly furrowed, hands unconsciously twisting the tassels on his waist sash, his whole person seemingly falling into an inexplicably panicked state.
He tried hard to recapture the feeling of discussing Yan Family Mountain’s cave abode with Sheng Jiao, but after thinking hard for a long time, he vaguely felt his consciousness and emotions seemed separated by an invisible, intangible veil. When he struggled to reach across and touch it, the resulting emotions remained elusive and incomprehensible.
Yan Jianlan stood there dazed, suddenly remembering what Sheng Jiao said to him yesterday…
“You’re not quite right right now.”
His exhaustion wasn’t physical, but mental.
Fu Man stayed for less than half a day before leaving.
When Sheng Jiao finished Xiezhi Sect affairs and returned, it was already deep into the night.
Yan Jianlan had been sleeping since noon. In his drowsy state, he sensed a familiar osmanthus fragrance and frosty aura approaching, and opened his eyes listlessly.
Sheng Jiao hadn’t even had time to remove his Xiezhi Sect cloak, and the scent of late autumn night frost wafted over.
He sat on the edge of the bed and said in a low voice: “Fu Man came today?”
“Mm.” Yan Jianlan had just woken up, his voice a bit hoarse. “But I don’t remember how we’re supposed to arrange our cave abode, so he left. I’m sorry.”
Sheng Jiao frowned.
After Yan Jianlan apologized, he froze as well.
A moment of silence fell within the small bed curtains.
Yan Jianlan and Sheng Jiao stared at each other for a long time before he said hesitantly: “Sheng… Sheng Jiao, I think I’m really not quite right.”
Clearly he should be looking forward to the bonding ceremony, should be happily making a new Spirit Mustard cave abode according to his and Sheng Jiao’s preferences, but his emotions just couldn’t be stirred up. It was as if he were trapped in a cramped, sealed mustard seed space, and no matter how hard his consciousness struggled, he couldn’t break through the barrier and escape.
Sheng Jiao leaned down and gently embraced him, stroking the back of his head bit by bit: “Don’t be afraid, it will get better.”
“I really want to go to Yan Family Mountain with you for the bonding ceremony,” Yan Jianlan clutched Sheng Jiao’s wrist, speaking incoherently. “I really do want to, but I…” Wandering and displaced, life-and-death struggles, countless hardships blocking the way, risking his life to contend with various forces—that seemed to be the life he was accustomed to, the future he should have.
Not the danger-free bonding ceremony, not living a stable life—such “goals” that didn’t require effort to achieve.
Yan Jianlan was accustomed to suffering and considered himself extremely unlucky. Being suddenly thrust into a honeypot and tasting overwhelming sweetness, he didn’t feel overjoyed; instead, he felt more of an ill-adapted fear.
His subconscious was questioning and rejecting this comfort.
Sheng Jiao, gradually regaining his seven emotions and six desires, could keenly sense Yan Jianlan’s fear. He didn’t say much, only: “Tomorrow we return to Yan Family Mountain.”
Yan Jianlan was still afraid, but froze at these words.
“Yan Family Mountain?”
“Mm.” Sheng Jiao said. “We won’t make a Spirit Mustard. We’ll just repair the buildings on Yan Family Mountain and move in. We can skip the bonding ceremony too.”
Yan Jianlan instinctively wanted to object, but the words caught in his throat. He stammered: “Then… then what about Xiezhi Sect affairs? Shouldn’t you be very busy now?”
Sheng Jiao had been out of sight all day; he should be run off his feet with work.
“I’ve already delegated many matters to Juan Xunfang,” Sheng Jiao removed his cloak and lay back down while holding him. “Even if there are important matters, the Punishment Court is below Yan Family Mountain. They’ll come find me there.”
Yan Jianlan said “Oh,” then asked: “What about the Sheng family?”
Sheng Jiao frowned: “Why should I care about them?”
Yan Jianlan looked at him in surprise.
The previous Sheng Jiao would never have impulsively said such emotionally charged words.
Though Yan Jianlan was listless, he wasn’t stupid. He knew that after Tianyan’s destruction, all the xiangwen in the Thirteen States had ceased to exist, plus there was the mess from “Abandoned Immortal Bone” to clean up—a pile of miscellaneous matters heaped on Sheng Jiao that definitely couldn’t be casually pushed onto Juan Xunfang.
He leaned forward to stare into Sheng Jiao’s indifferent eyes and asked in a lowered voice: “Did Sect Master Sheng not come back to see me today because he was busy with these matters?”
Sheng Jiao: “Mm.”
Yan Jianlan suddenly laughed, rubbing his forehead against Sheng Jiao’s chin, smiling as if acting spoiled: “So you really don’t plan to be Xiezhi Sect’s sect master anymore? That won’t do. From now on I’ll be living with you—without a salary, how will you support me?”
Sheng Jiao reached out to twist the storage ring on Yan Jianlan’s finger twice: “The spirit stones inside are already sufficient.”
Yan Jianlan said with a smile: “Not enough. I love spending spirit stones. With just your meager savings, I could squander it all in half a month.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao seemed stumped by this question. Yan Jianlan couldn’t hold back his laughter and kicked his legs, then suddenly leaned in to kiss Sheng Jiao’s thin lips.
A faint osmanthus fragrance lingered around his breath. Yan Jianlan vaguely felt he had briefly come back to life.
“Sect Master Sheng,” Yan Jianlan kissed the corner of Sheng Jiao’s lips and whispered, “Such a beautiful night, let’s dual cultivate.”
Sheng Jiao frowned, reached out to press Yan Jianlan’s brow center and pushed him back, saying coldly: “Sleep.”
Knowing his state was off yet still teasing recklessly.
Yan Jianlan laughed endlessly: “I’m not injured. With such beauty in your arms, does Sect Master Sheng want to play Liu Xiahui?”
Never heard of anyone calling themselves a “beauty.”
Yan Jianlan was shameless enough, knowing that Sheng Jiao was usually easy to tease. Moreover, the two hadn’t dual cultivated for many days—Sheng Wuzhuo definitely wouldn’t refuse.
But unexpectedly, Sheng Jiao’s face darkened. He pushed and forcibly pressed him onto the bed, saying expressionlessly: “Stop messing around.” Yan Jianlan found it incredible and felt it necessary to clarify: “I’m not messing around, I’m being serious? —Sheng Wuzhuo, what’s wrong with you? Have you been possessed again? You really… Fine, let me remind you. Didn’t I use the rhinoceros horn lamp to scold you with Yu Tuishan a few days ago? You said the evidence was conclusive and I wouldn’t have any good fruits to eat. Did you forget? Come on, bring out the bad fruits for me to taste.”
Sheng Jiao: “…”
Sheng Jiao’s face was grim. His hand reached under the quilt and pinched Yan Jianlan’s waist hard.
Yan Jianlan thought Sheng Jiao was about to transform into “Sheng Wuzhuo” and have his way with him, already prepared for his waist sash to be pulled open. He didn’t expect to be pinched so hard he nearly jumped up.
He looked at the expressionless Sheng Jiao in disbelief: “You! What are you doing?”
“Sleep.” Sheng Jiao hugged him again, issuing a concise order.
Yan Jianlan: “…”
Yan Jianlan didn’t want to sleep. Yan Jianlan wanted to dual cultivate.
But the “dual” in dual cultivation meant one person couldn’t complete it alone. He’d slept all day and was finally energized. Seeing Sheng Jiao truly about to close his eyes and sleep while holding him, anger rose from his heart and evil courage grew from his guts.
Sheng Jiao had already closed his eyes to sleep, but the person in his arms was very restless, constantly struggling and moving around, even burrowing under the brocade quilt, scheming something mischievous.
After a while, Sheng Jiao suddenly opened his eyes. His long arm reached out and yanked Yan Jianlan up from under the quilt.
“You!”
Yan Jianlan had been burrowing in the quilt for quite a while. His long hair was disheveled, and even his loose hair ribbon had gone who knows where.
Sheng Jiao stared at him coldly and suddenly said: “Really don’t want to sleep?”
The corner of Yan Jianlan’s lips curved up, deliberately provocative: “Let’s see who falls asleep first.”
Sheng Jiao’s face was cold. He directly flipped over to press Yan Jianlan beneath him, using one hand to pin both his wrists above the pillow, practically demonstrating how to make him “sleep” quickly.
Yan Jianlan had no good fruits to eat all night. At first he was quite proud he’d teased Sect Master Sheng into breaking, but soon he started crying.
Previously, even if Yan Jianlan passed out three times in one night, he rarely cried this pitifully. Probably because he no longer wanted to expend energy on any pretense, this time before even halfway through, he followed his heart and cried completely unable to bear it, hands desperately struggling to break free from restraint, randomly pushing at Sheng Jiao’s shoulders.
He cried breathlessly: “I’ll sleep first! I admit defeat, Sheng Jiao… wuu I want to sleep.”
Sheng Jiao said coldly: “Too late.”
Yan Jianlan: “…”
Originally they said they’d set out for Yan Family Mountain first thing the next day, but it was delayed by two days.
Sheng Jiao wasn’t in a hurry to reach Yan Family Mountain. Instead of taking the Punishment Court’s thousand-li-a-day airship, he brought Yan Jianlan on a unicorn-drawn carriage mustard seed from the Central State, leisurely swaying northward.
Yan Jianlan was carried away from Xiezhi Sect in a drowsy state. Vaguely feeling swaying beneath him, he struggled to open his eyes only to discover he was sitting in a spacious carriage mustard seed.
Outside the carved window, scenery slowly receded.
Sheng Jiao was sitting by the bed reading. Sensing he’d woken, he looked up slightly: “Thirsty?”
Yan Jianlan shook his head, his voice hoarse: “Are we on an airship?”
“No, a carriage mustard seed,” Sheng Jiao said.
Airship wooden wings had array spiritual power reinforcement and could travel a thousand li a day at their fastest, while carriage mustard seeds were like mortal horse carriages—even pulled by spirit beasts, they had to walk step by step properly.
Yan Jianlan was surprised: “Then won’t it take forever to reach Yan Family Mountain?”
“We’re not in a hurry,” Sheng Jiao put down his book, his gaze resting on Yan Jianlan. “Whenever we arrive at Yan Family Mountain is fine.”
After all, the destination was Yan Family Mountain.
Yan Jianlan obediently nodded, crawled on his knees onto Sheng Jiao’s lap to lie down, and said lazily: “I’ve never been out to play so leisurely before. It feels very novel.”
Seeing that Yan Jianlan finally seemed interested in something, Sheng Jiao reached out and patted his head.
He wouldn’t let Yan Jianlan become a second Yu Tuishan.
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(advanced chapters available on kofi)
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152