Chapter 30#
Before he could finish, Immortal Lord Chongwu leaned down and gently licked his wound.#
The moment he entered the magic array, Yu Lin could not help but collapse to the ground. Holding his neck, he breathed with difficulty, his chest rising and falling.
The large and small white snakes turned into specks of starlight and vanished outside the array.
Yu Lin felt a weight lift from his body and let out a sigh of relief. After resting for a moment, he dragged his exhausted body to find a place to sit.
His eyelashes trembled slightly as he gently rubbed the spot where he had just been bitten.
Blood seeped from two puncture wounds, accompanied by a cold mist. That icy sensation rushed through his bloodstream and into his marrow, making his scalp go numb with cold.
“Phew…”
He closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and stood up while clutching his wound.
This was still the Demonic Sect’s secret realm. Fearing that other dangers might appear, he did not dare to linger.
Drip.
He tilted his head to look toward the source of the sound.
Before him was a small puddle. Water dripped down from the rugged rock wall, splashing and spreading out.
Stumbling over, he stared at his reflection cast in the puddle, feeling somewhat dazed. He unconsciously touched the rock wall, blocking the dripping crack.
Cool water droplets flowed along the rock wall onto his finger, gathering at his fingertip. Unable to hold its own weight, a round droplet fell into the puddle, creating ripples.
Drip.
…
“Lord Priest, should we have them come up?” A man with light honey-colored skin propped up his head. His green eyes squinted lazily at the person beside him.
“Prince Peisha, one moment please.”
The Priest smiled slightly, looked at Immortal Lord Chongwu who sat in the main seat, and asked, “Immortal Lord…”
“Bring them up.”
The Priest’s light blue eyes were gentle. He clapped his hands twice, and a group of beautiful dancers entered the hall.
The leading dancer wore a midriff-baring top of red and green, interspersed with glittering gold sequins. A semi-transparent light green silk skirt trailed on the floor, accentuating her graceful posture.
She wore a beaded veil over her face, leaving only a pair of beautiful eyes exposed. Her eyes, like brilliant blue sapphires, spoke of endless allure.
The Priest looked at her with satisfaction, as if admiring his most perfect masterpiece.
He proudly introduced her to Immortal Lord Chongwu: “This is Qinan Kingdom’s most beautiful dancer, Jun Ti.”
Sitting upright, Immortal Lord Chongwu glanced at the dancer below with a casual look. “Mm, indeed beautiful.”
Jun Ti lowered her brows and raised her hands, her slender arms possessing a sense of strength. She curved her lips slightly, a smile half-hidden behind the beaded veil.
As the music started, her body moved like a drifting ribbon, soft and graceful yet full of charm. Her delicate hands skillfully formed various gestures.
When the dance concluded, the Priest called Jun Ti to come up.
Stepping barefoot, she lifted her skirt and walked up. Familiar with the routine, she picked up a gold-inlaid wine vessel, tilting it to pour with a half-concealing gesture.
Immortal Lord Chongwu raised his hand, stopping her action. He looked past her, behind where she had just been standing.
“Who is he?”
The moment Yu Lin opened his eyes, he was swept into an unfamiliar realm.
The hall before him was resplendent and magnificent, filled with exotic vibes. A row of musicians stood on each side of the hall, playing songs and dances in a scene of peace and prosperity.
Where was this?
Before he could react, he was shoved and mingled into the crowd of dancers. Surrounded by soft, fragrant scents, Yu Lin found it completely alien.
His head buzzed as he stood among them, dazed and at a loss.
Feeling a bit drafty, Yu Lin looked down at his current attire, and his pupils shrank instantly.
…This was simply too much!
His upper body was bare, exposing his slender waist, with only an exquisite armlet tightly fitted around his upper arm.
Though he wore loose harem pants, there were oval slits on the outer sides near his thighs, with metal buttons hanging with two strands of tassels.
What was going on…
Yu Lin forced himself to look calmly at Immortal Lord Chongwu on the stage. He did not know why his Master was here, and catching him dressed like this made him break into a cold sweat.
A light veil covered his face, hiding much of his panic. The pair of eyes showing could be considered calm.
“Oh, this one…”
The Priest wore an understanding look. “A little plaything raised by the Wanhua Brothel. He has just come of age and is still a bit clumsy, but he does possess some charm. If the Immortal Lord likes him…”
“Come here.”
Immortal Lord Chongwu interrupted the Priest and gestured to him with a wave of his hand.
Yu Lin hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, and walked over while forcing himself to stay calm. A string of small, delicate bells hung around his ankle, jingling with every step he took.
He walked at a moderate pace, but before he could reach Immortal Lord Chongwu, the latter frowned and pulled him over in one swift motion.
Caught off guard, Yu Lin stumbled and was pulled by Immortal Lord Chongwu to straddle his lap, his veil slipping off in the process.
Warm breath brushed against his face. Yu Lin was still leaning forward, close enough to see the fine peach fuzz on Immortal Lord Chongwu’s face and his fan-like eyelashes.
The two were too close. The nipple ring on Yu Lin’s chest was accidentally brushed against, causing him to lower his head and let out a muffled groan, the end of his voice trembling strangely.
His body went stiff, and he was completely at a loss, when a scorching heat suddenly radiated from his waist. At some point, Immortal Lord Chongwu had placed both hands on either side of his waist, looking up at him.
Forced to meet Immortal Lord Chongwu’s gaze, Yu Lin unexpectedly crashed into those bright, translucent golden eyes.
“Mas—”
Immortal Lord Chongwu shifted his gaze to the side of his neck. “How did you get hurt?”
Yu Lin froze, swallowing his unspoken words back down. His right hand instinctively reached up to gently touch the place where he had just been bitten.
He hadn’t expected the wound to have carried over here too.
Seeing this, the Priest thought Immortal Lord Chongwu was displeased, and his face paled. “What happened?”
Yu Lin didn’t understand what the Priest meant and explained blankly, “It is nothing, I did it myself…”
Before he could finish, he watched as Immortal Lord Chongwu leaned down and gently licked his wound.
The soft sensation of the tongue licked back and forth over the wound, his light breath swirling in the crook of Yu Lin’s neck.
Shaken by the sensation, Yu Lin shuddered and instinctively wrapped his arms around Immortal Lord Chongwu’s neck.
Immortal Lord Chongwu’s hand slowly slid downward, touching the skin on the outside of his thigh, before pausing.
Feeling the touch on his flesh, Yu Lin frowned and looked down, only to see Immortal Lord Chongwu’s hand pause briefly. Then, pinching both sides of the metal button with two fingers, the Immortal Lord gave a firm tug and buttoned it.
“Is there any clothing?” Immortal Lord Chongwu turned to ask the Priest.
“Yes, yes.” Understanding his meaning immediately, the Priest fetched a gold-threaded outer robe and handed it to him.
Immortal Lord Chongwu took the clothing and draped it over Yu Lin.
The semi-transparent silk garment partially concealed Yu Lin’s waist. Although the clothing wasn’t very thick, having a layer over him finally gave Yu Lin some peace of mind.
Prince Peisha found the spectacle quite boring. He turned his gaze to the stage below and snapped his fingers in boredom.
Melodious music resounded once more. The musicians stood in rows on both sides, and beauties danced to the tune.
Prince Peisha blinked, feeling that something was missing. Although the dancers below each had their own charm, there was one figure that lingered persistently in his mind.
By now, Jun Ti had already lowered her eyelashes and retreated to the side.
Prince Peisha struggled with himself for a moment. Finally unable to resist, he stole a glance toward Jun Ti, only to be caught red-handed.
Sensing his gaze, Jun Ti gave him a slight smile.
His heart jolted, and a faint blush crept onto his face. To cover his embarrassment, he coughed twice into his hand, turned around, and asked, “Lord Priest, when is the sacrificial ceremony?”
The Priest replied, “In seven days.”
It turned out that the Priest had divined a natural disaster two months ago but hadn’t paid much attention to it. A month later, Qinan Kingdom suffered from a continuous lack of rain, and drought swept through the remote regions.
They constantly transported water to the drought-stricken areas, but this only treated the symptoms and not the root cause. The water supply in Qinan Kingdom’s royal capital was also about to run dry. If not resolved in time, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Thus, the Priest had invited Immortal Lord Chongwu, hoping he could communicate with the Heavenly Dao and ask the gods to send rain.
And so, this sacrificial ceremony came to be.
The Priest glanced at Jun Ti and whispered softly, “Good child, after seven days, everything will be fine.”
…
Yu Lin opened his eyes to see gorgeous, intricate gauze curtains before him. Then, sensing a presence beside him, he backed away warily. He let out a sigh of relief upon meeting Immortal Lord Chongwu’s eyes.
“How did I end up here?”
After the singing and dancing ended, he had returned to his room. Afterward, he had been unable to sleep soundly, yet he never expected that the moment he opened his eyes, he would be in Immortal Lord Chongwu’s room.
Immortal Lord Chongwu sighed. “They must have taken the initiative themselves.”
“You should rest here today, otherwise they will become suspicious.”
Yu Lin didn’t really mind this, but he felt his Master was a bit strange today. So, he asked hesitantly, “Master… how did you get here? What about Senior Brother and Senior Sister? Are they here too?”
However, Immortal Lord Chongwu’s brow furrowed as he asked in confusion, “Who is your Master? What relationship are you trying to claim?”
Yu Lin stared at him in utter bewilderment, with a thousand questions in his mind left unanswered. After they stared at each other for a long moment, he asked in confusion, “Then why did you call me over today?”
Immortal Lord Chongwu smiled faintly. “I felt a connection with you. Is that not allowed?”
His eyes curved like crescent moons, the ice in his beautiful eyes melting away. Yu Lin had never seen these eyes look so gentle, and he found himself staring dazed.
Now Yu Lin believed that the person in front of him was indeed not the “Immortal Lord Chongwu” he knew.
“Snap out of it.” Immortal Lord Chongwu snapped his fingers. “What has you so captivated?”
Since it wasn’t someone he knew, Yu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and teased him with a smile, “I thought you were good-looking, just like my Master.”
Immortal Lord Chongwu paused, glanced at him, and said probingy, “…You think your Master is good-looking?”
“Of course. He is the most handsome Immortal Lord, if only he wasn’t biased…” Realizing he had spoken too much, Yu Lin quickly cut himself off, his tone growing downcast.
“What?” Immortal Lord Chongwu pressed.
“…Nothing.” Yu Lin refused to answer and turned his head away.
Immortal Lord Chongwu sighed and changed the subject. “Where do you come from?”
Yu Lin looked at him in shock. “How did you know I’m not from here?”
Immortal Lord Chongwu laughed helplessly at his foolishness. “A little one raised by the Wanhua Brothel, where would you get a ‘Master’?”
Yu Lin’s mind was muddled, and since he had been led along the entire time, he hadn’t thought that far. He hesitated for a moment. “It seems I was foolish indeed. I just felt a strong sense of familiarity upon seeing you.”
“I won’t tell anyone, but once you step out of this room, you must remember not to act like this anymore,” Immortal Lord Chongwu said.
Yu Lin nodded. “Of course, I understand.”
He couldn’t leave tonight anyway, so after saying this, he simply leaned back against the soft pillows, resting his hands behind him as he looked up at Immortal Lord Chongwu. “So, how do you plan to perform the sacrifice? Do you know how to do that?”
Since this wasn’t his own Master, there was no need for reverence. Yu Lin acted in a carefree, slacker manner, leaning to the side as if he were bone-less, his white sleeping robe loosely draped over him.
However, Immortal Lord Chongwu slowly shook his head. “Although I know how to perform a sacrifice, there’s nothing I can do about this matter.”
Yu Lin said in surprise, “So you were just playing them for fools today?”
Immortal Lord Chongwu laughed. “No, just because I can’t do anything doesn’t mean others can’t.”
Yu Lin said, “You want to invite someone else? Who? Will the Priest and the others agree?”
“The only solution lies with Jun Ti.”
He looked up to meet Yu Lin’s eyes. “Don’t you think Jun Ti and the Priest were very strange today?”
【Author’s Note】
Yu Lin: I don’t know what to say, so let me say “Wow” first to cover up my embarrassment.
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