Chapter 43#

Body and mind in harmony.

It was unknown whether it was real or an illusion, but the exhaustion of the body was teased to the extreme by this dream. He felt even more vaguely that the person was cleaning him, wiping him, and feeding him porridge mouthful by mouthful. This sleep continued for a long time, seeming to want to smooth out the wear and tear of the body from not sleeping, resting, eating or drinking for several consecutive days. Fortunately, every day’s feeding and washing could feel that person’s familiar body temperature, like soaking in warm water, the just-right warmth made every bone extremely comfortable.

In the afternoon of the fifth day after he fainted, Hua Jinian woke up surrounded by this temperature. A brocade quilt was entangled, and that person lay on his side holding him in his arms, his breathtakingly perfect face close at hand. Hua Jinian’s breathing became chaotic unconsciously. Like a moth bewitched by flames, he held his breath and gently stroked that person’s closed eyelids. Before he could enjoy this burning touch, that person’s eyes opened in an instant, looking at him with interest with a pair of eyes that were black close to dark red. Being stared at by those eyes, the young man inevitably felt a burst of dizziness, so he had to awkwardly place his hands on the man’s broad chest, struggled slightly backward in this domineering embrace, and murmured: “Father.”

That person’s face approached irresistibly, calmly occupying his lips and tongue. After a desperate entanglement, he let go of the almost suffocating Hua Jinian, and changed to gently biting his neck again and again like a gentle breeze and drizzle. It turned out that they still had such a gentle and harmonious way of getting along. The unspeakable tacit understanding and intimacy made Hua Jinian almost chuckle with joy. His slender fingers were buried deep in the man’s jet-black hair, not knowing whether to pull closer or push away. In the next moment, he discovered that under the messy clothes, his body was already covered with blue and purple bruises. Only then did he suddenly realize that the intimacy of water and milk blending in those dreams was not just a fleeting dream.

“Really too much…” Hua Jinian complained in a low voice. Hearing the sound, Hua Qianjue looked up at him, the corners of his mouth slanted into an evil and charming smile: “You shouldn’t blame me. Have you forgotten how you begged me that day?”

The young man smiled: “I said, as long as you forgive me, I am willing to do anything… Could it be that you have already forgiven me? But I want to hear you say it yourself.” As he said this, his eyebrows and eyes became more vivid, his eyes wide open staring at the man constantly, the brilliance in his jet-black pupils was dazzling, and his watery red lips could not hide the overflowing smile no matter what.

Hua Qianjue didn’t want to talk to him at all, and his dense kisses gradually moved down. The young man seemed to be tickled by the man licking on his chest, so he giggled and pushed, asking with a low laugh: “Have you forgiven me?” Seeing the man refused to speak, he shrank back even more, refusing to let that person touch him, “Say it, have you forgiven me? Say it.” He giggled, dodging and pushing away, asking once every time he pushed, until Hua Qianjue was annoyed by him and had no choice but to suck the blush on the young man’s fair chest while vaguely saying “En”.

Hua Jinian’s eyes became brighter and brighter, and a thin layer of pink gradually dyed his handsome face. He lowered his voice and asked again: “Really forgave me?” Hua Qianjue responded vaguely again, but the young man opened his mouth unsatisfied and asked: “Really? Not lying to me?”

Hua Qianjue couldn’t bear it anymore, raised his face murderously, and roared: “If you nag again, believe it or not I’ll beat you!” When the man raised his face, he happened to meet Hua Jinian’s eyes full of starlight. Both of them were stunned, held their breath slightly, their breathing lost rhythm, and slowly leaned their lips towards each other, touching lightly. Hua Jinian obediently closed his eyes, feeling the man’s hot breath.

“You unfilial child.” Hua Jinian heard the man murmuring like a sigh, grabbing the young man’s hand and covering it on his high-bulging crotch. That person’s other hand stroked the young man’s thigh provocatively, then leaned down, looking at the person under him with a fervent gaze like a beast patrolling its territory. The indescribable taste when those slender and flexible legs wrapped around his waist in memory surfaced clearly again.

Hua Jinian raised his eyebrows and smiled, reached out and flicked the gold hook, the curtain slowly fell, covering all the spring scenery.

After the clouds and rain, Hua Jinian rested his head on Hua Qianjue’s shoulder, and repeated word for word what Tianxiang had told him that day. As he spoke, he looked at the man’s face uneasily, but what made him dumbfounded and even furious was the man’s careless expression, seeming not to care at all. No matter what he was saying, that person just leaned over from time to time to kiss his cheek lightly and responded vaguely a few times.

Hua Jinian forced himself to endure until he finished speaking. Looking at the man’s still desirous face, he finally gritted his teeth and cursed loudly: “Did you hear what I was saying!”

Hua Qianjue laughed low, propped up his body, revealing his perfect and strong upper body, and chuckled: “Yes. You said you are actually not my son, someone else is.” Hua Jinian opened his confused eyes wide, looked up at him and asked softly: “Don’t you mind?”

Hua Qianjue looked at the young man carefully for a while, reached out and picked up a strand of Hua Jinian’s hair scattered on the pillow, kissed it lightly under his lips, and asked with a smile: “You refused to call me father last time just because of this ridiculous reason? Making me think… If you really want to know if I care, I’ll give you another example, okay? The example of the small tree last time.” Hua Jinian frowned and struggled, saying angrily: “I’m talking to you seriously…”

Hua Qianjue laughed loudly and hugged Hua Jinian tightly again, slowing down his tone and saying softly with rare seriousness: “How could you be so stupid to think that I am a person who cares about such things? You are the small tree I have planted for a full twenty years. Even if when I first started cultivating you, I thought you were a peach tree, until twenty years later, this tree grew up and bloomed, and I knew it was not a peach tree, but a pear tree…” When Hua Jinian covered his ears and couldn’t listen anymore, the man firmly pulled away his hands covering his ears bit by bit, and continued softly to the young man’s ear: “At this time, do you think I should be angry? Anyway, it grows in my yard, it belongs to me… I don’t care about other trivial matters, I don’t care at all.”

As Hua Jinian listened, for some reason, his eyes gradually turned red, and he said softly: “But I still care… I hope we are closer than anyone else forever, in any sense, in any identity. I hope we have many bonds that others can’t cut off or finish cutting.”

Hua Qianjue thought indifferently, so what if he is not my own flesh and blood? The few large bowls of fresh blood I forced down that day also flow in his body. Besides… He hugged the young man distressedly and turned over, taking him to lie on the bed with arms stretched out, seeming to smile wickedly with joy: “Really want to be my son so much?” Hua Jinian responded vaguely with slight shame. Hua Qianjue whispered with a smile on his lips: “Actually… it’s not impossible. You said you were born prematurely by that woman at seven months?”

Hua Jinian nodded, couldn’t help turning his head, looking at the man intently. Hua Qianjue laughed in a low voice: “Alas, speaking of which, I don’t remember that period very well. I was only fourteen or fifteen years old at the time. My relatives were harmed by the person surnamed Ruan, so naturally I couldn’t swallow this anger. But at that time, Floating Pagoda Fortress had just stood up from the disaster, how could we take any revenge? Later I understood the affairs between men and women, and after thinking about it, I came up with a vicious method. I got a few bottles of Xiangjianhuan, and while Ruan Congyun was not at home, I sneaked into his wife’s room every night, put some aphrodisiacs, and then humiliated her wantonly. Anyway, she would forget all these things completely every morning… He killed my mother, I raped his wife. This matter is also very fair. Counting the days, it was about seven months before you were born.”

Hua Jinian was stunned there. After a long time, he pushed the man hard and whispered: “You are really too much…” Hua Qianjue looked at him quietly. After a long time, he slowly revealed a bloodthirsty smile and whispered: “But you just happen to like someone like me.”

Hua Jinian looked at him deeply, then buried himself forcefully in the man’s arms, with a slight crying tone, and laughed softly: “That’s right, I just like someone like you.”

Hua Qianjue smiled smugly, hugged the young man back, and the two embraced silently for a while. The man thought for a while, and asked softly again: “By the way, did you get the medicine Geng Yong took you to get?”

Hua Jinian was stunned for a while, and after a while, he whispered: “No.”

Hua Qianjue was stunned, turned over and sat up, held the young man’s hand and carefully probed his internal breath. After a long time, he silently put on clothes for the young man, and casually put on his outer robe. Hua Jinian pulled the man’s sleeve and whispered: “Why are you in such a hurry to leave? I only have a few days left, why don’t you accompany me properly?”

Hua Qianjue reached out and patted the young man’s forehead neither lightly nor heavily, and said sternly: “Don’t talk nonsense. Our days ahead are long.”

As he spoke, he pondered for a while, and then slowed down his voice: “What happened to those medicines?” Hua Jinian shook his head and said: “When I got there, the medicines had all been destroyed, but you don’t have to worry, I have already avenged myself…” Hua Qianjue slowly closed his eyes for a while, as if forcibly suppressing his anger. He didn’t bother to mention how much effort these medicines cost him, and even exhausted every bit of Floating Pagoda Fortress’s surplus wealth.

Hua Jinian looked at him with some worry, was quiet for a while, and whispered: “Father, Jinian is already very happy. To be able to hear these words from you before dying, and to be able to say these words from the bottom of my heart.” Hua Qianjue said angrily: “But I am not happy, I am not satisfied. Do you think I will casually let go and let my son die unclearly?”

Hua Jinian smiled bitterly: “But we have no choice, do we? Aren’t there still a few days left? Just spend them happily with me.” Hearing these words, Hua Qianjue was obviously displeased to the extreme again. His pupils showed a few traces of dark red even more. The surrounding air was forced by his momentum, as if it had stagnated, making it difficult to breathe. A stack of scrolls on the table was blown all over the room by the wind from nowhere. Hua Qianjue glared at Hua Jinian fiercely, gritting his teeth word by word: “I forbid you to say these words. Since you dared to come back, you are not allowed to use any method to escape from me.”

Hua Jinian looked at the man blankly. After a long time, he forced a smile and said: “If there really is… really is a way to let me stay by your side forever, I only ask that when the time comes, you hold me tight…”

While their conversation was at a stalemate, someone suddenly broke in rashly. Hua Qianjue pulled Hua Jinian’s open collar tight in an instant, and then looked back angrily. Seeing the person standing at the door, he couldn’t help frowning: “Wu Qiuping, what are you doing here?”

Wu Qiuping was stunned and smiled: “This…” This room was full of the faint musk smell of men after intercourse. Even if he closed his eyes and didn’t look at the messy bed, he knew what had just happened between these two people. Whether it was Hua Qianjue who killed countless people, or the cold-faced and ruthless Hua Jinian, their secrets were not something others dared to care about or know… Wu Qiuping wished he could blind his own eyes in an instant and pretend to know nothing. “This…” He murmured, almost forgetting what he came for.

Hua Qianjue said unhappily: “Get out if you have nothing to do.”

Hearing this sentence, Wu Qiuping suddenly came back to his senses and said loudly: “Fortress Master, Fortress Master, Qiuping has something, something huge. Do you remember three years ago, you asked me to put aside all miscellaneous affairs and concentrate on developing the antidote for the Little Young Master?”

This sentence sounded like a bolt from the blue to the ears of the two. No words like “willow dark and flower bright” or “suddenly enlightened” were enough to describe the feeling of enlightenment at this moment. Hua Jinian’s mind was still blank at this time, but Hua Qianjue reacted in an instant, held the young man’s hand tightly back, and laughed loudly: “Go on.”

Seeing that both of them were beaming with joy, Wu Qiuping also smiled and said: “Recently, the three-year period has expired. Although Qiuping is dull, for the sake of the Little Young Master and Floating Pagoda Fortress, I dared not slack off for three years. Heaven has pity, today I finally made the antidote… I said long ago that no matter what poison it is, it can be detoxified. After careful research, an antidote can be made. What is needed is just time…”

Hua Qianjue felt the young man in his arms trembling again, probably about to shed tears again. His child was not strong, but definitely not weak. It was just that the joy of rebirth was enough to move a hard-hearted person—he originally thought that waiting for death with closed eyes was the only path he could choose. It turned out that there was a broader path. Such a blue sky, such fresh air, such beautiful scenery, wind, flowers, snow and moon, those bamboo forests and pines, clear springs on stones, orchids at the bottom of the stream, bright moon in the heart of the lake. It turned out that there could be countless sunrises and sunsets to enjoy the blooming flowers together—

Hua Qianjue laughed in a low voice: “Good, good Wu Qiuping, good Taoist cultivation among flowers, good Poison Hua Tuo.” Wu Qiuping smiled: “Thank you for the Fortress Master’s praise. How about… I bring the brewed antidote over now?”

Seeing Hua Qianjue nodding with a big laugh, he hurried out, extinguished the fire on his medicine stove, and walked all the way to the main room where the two stayed, holding the medicine carefully with both hands. When he was about to reach the door, there was suddenly a bustling noise at the entrance of the relay station. Wu Qiuping asked in confusion: “What kind of rule is it to be so noisy? What is the matter?”

The person at the door replied meekly: “Today, the disciples who went up to Bikong Mountain found several bodies of fellow disciples. Among them was a body that looked very much like the Little Young Master. Now they have been sent back together. We thought the Little Young Master was fine in the room, so there must be fraud, so we examined the body carefully and peeled off a layer of human skin mask. Only then did we discover that it was actually… actually Hall Master Su!”

Wu Qiuping asked in confusion: “Hall Master Su, which Hall Master Su?”

The person at the door replied: “Is there a second Hall Master Su?” Wu Qiuping was about to ask again, when Hua Qianjue asked impatiently in the room: “Wu Qiuping, come in.”

Wu Qiuping looked back, took a few steps, looked again, and then entered the room. Hua Qianjue saw his uncertain and lost look, afraid that he would spill the medicine bowl, and said unhappily: “What are you still hesitating for? Why don’t you present the medicine?”

Wu Qiuping hesitated for a while, and suddenly asked softly: “Little Young Master, Meiniang she… where is she now?”