Inside the Xiān Gōng Sect’s Main Hall.
“Ruolin, what is it?” Feng Qingyun looked at Bai Ruolin, who had suddenly gone quiet, and asked again in slight confusion, “What were you about to say?”
Bai Ruolin abruptly came back to herself, countless turbulent waves surging through her heart.
The feeling was completely different from suddenly remembering past memories. Recovering old memories was merely adding another segment onto one’s existing recollections, but what she was experiencing now was the total overwriting of false memories. Anyone would be stunned for a few moments.
Still, thanks to little Beichen’s shocking revelation at the previous assembly, suddenly remembering everything about Long Yin now did not feel too abrupt. So Bai Ruolin could be said to have accepted and processed everything rather smoothly. There was only one matter she could not let go of…
Mu Hanyang.
Originally, after all traces of Long Yin had been completely erased, Mu Hanyang’s death could still be attributed to ignorance and reckless arrogance, to the point that he had genuinely believed himself to be the incarnation of the Heavenly Dao.
But no matter what, in everyone’s fabricated memories, it truly had been Mu Hanyang who made the sacrifice in the end, returning to the Heavenly Dao with the hearts of the Four Ancient Beasts.
Thus, although no one in the Xiān Gōng Sect ever spoke of him openly, they had still preserved his title and had not treated his three disciples too harshly.
Yet once all memories returned, everyone suddenly realized…
It had never been like that at all.
The one who merged with the Heavenly Dao had always been Long Yin, the true incarnation of Heaven itself. The one who sacrificed so thoroughly that even his name could not remain within heaven and earth was still him.
From beginning to end, Mu Hanyang had merely been an ignorant target who willingly stepped forward. In the end, he had clearly died by Feng Qingyun’s sword, and it had nothing to do with sacrifice.
At this thought, Bai Ruolin’s expression darkened considerably. She immediately said, “I heard Wei Fang has been deeply dissatisfied with the allocation of inner sect disciple slots and has repeatedly spoken wildly. Senior Brother already showed their branch more than enough leniency before, yet he still refuses to appreciate it. I think we should take this opportunity to expel him.”
Wei Fang truly was stubborn beyond redemption. Feng Qingyun had been busy with the disciple recruitment ceremony lately and simply had no time to deal with him, though that did not mean he was unaware.
But hearing this, he suddenly paused. “Take this opportunity? What opportunity are you referring to?”
Bai Ruolin froze and looked up at Feng Qingyun in surprise.
Hasn’t Senior Brother remembered?
No way, she quickly rejected the thought.
When Feng Qingyun brought Long Yin back to the sect earlier, that meaningful yet familiar smile of his looked nothing like the bewilderment and sorrow he had worn when he had left alone with little Beichen before. The aura she once saw on him, dense as frost that could never melt, had now entirely transformed into something sweet called happiness and joy.
That was absolutely not the posture of someone who had not remembered.
On the contrary, it was Long Yin who looked clear-eyed and almost innocent at the time. Bai Ruolin simply could not connect him with the domineering Demon Emperor from her memories.
But she was a smart woman. Very quickly, she realized something, and her eyes widened in shock.
Feng Qingyun had regained all his memories of Long Yin first, yet deliberately concealed them without reminding him. Instead, he had allowed Long Yin to trail behind him like a puppy after losing his memories, treating it all as amusement.
The moment Bai Ruolin’s memories returned, she had even sighed inwardly that the two were truly deeply devoted to one another. Even after forgetting each other, they still found their way back together. Surely another Dao companion ceremony would soon be held in the Xiān Gōng Sect, but…
Who would have thought that, aside from the Dao companion ceremony, everything she had admired before was completely false?!
Bai Ruolin stared at Feng Qingyun with wide eyes, as though meeting her Senior Brother for the first time.
Feng Qingyun: “…?”
Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the hall. Feng Qingyun looked up at the sound, and Bai Ruolin turned as well, only to unexpectedly meet Long Yin’s usual clear gaze.
As the man walked in carrying the little merfolk, still looking like an idle ornamental kept-man whose only merit was his handsome face, Bai Ruolin’s brow twitched violently.
Could it be that the Demon Emperor still hasn’t remembered? That can’t be right. If he truly hasn’t remembered, why would I suddenly recover my memories for no reason?!
Just as she was sinking into confusion, unable to figure it out, a voice suddenly rang directly inside her mind: [This Lord naturally has remembered. However, I ask the Third Palace Master to keep it secret for the time being. In the future, I shall repay the favor generously.]
Bai Ruolin: “……”
She immediately looked at the seemingly innocent man as if she had seen a ghost, ten thousand storms crashing through her heart.
No, what exactly are these two playing at?!
She watched the two of them smiling as they acted together, utterly speechless for a moment, but… Though she knew it was not her place, that was still her Senior Brother.
Gritting her teeth, she decided she could not simply watch her Senior Brother be bullied and was about to say something when she turned and saw Feng Qingyun smiling so brightly the corners of his lips had curved upward, his eyes never once leaving Long Yin.
“What brings you here?”
Long Yin raised a brow, wearing an expression of complete innocence.
Bai Ruolin: “……”
Feng Qingyun chuckled softly and tapped him lightly, coaxing, “Speak properly.”
“Little Beichen said he missed Daddy and insisted I carry him over.” The man walked up carrying the little merfolk and lowered his voice beside Feng Qingyun’s ear, continuing, “Actually, I missed his Daddy too.”
Bai Ruolin: “……”
The dignified Demon Emperor could actually act submissive and obedient this convincingly?!
Where in the world had he learned such shameless fox demon tricks?!
Bai Ruolin’s expression twisted instantly. She very much wanted to remind Feng Qingyun, but her Senior Brother currently looked exactly like a foolish emperor bewitched by a seductive consort, completely uninterested in hearing anything she had to say.
“Is that so?” Feng Qingyun smiled and lifted a hand to straighten Long Yin’s collar before lowering his head toward Beichen. “Is what your Brother says true?”
The little merfolk reached out for a hug. Once gathered into Feng Qingyun’s arms, it rubbed lightly against his chin. “It’s true. Dandan missed Daddy. Dandan wanted Father… oh no, wanted Brother to bring me to find Daddy.”
The first time the child slipped up, Long Yin had not taken it to heart, and this time, Feng Qingyun also failed to think much of it.
The two of them could each be considered extraordinarily intelligent, yet both happened to be momentarily muddled by the same little child. Watching the smile in Long Yin’s eyes grow more and more obvious while Feng Qingyun remained completely oblivious, the only person present who actually understood the situation, Third Palace Master Bai Ruolin, went utterly expressionless.
Looks like her Senior Brother had truly fallen into the clutches of an old fox demon. There was no saving him now.
Seeing that one was willing to play along while the other willingly indulged him, Bai Ruolin decided it was better not to involve herself in their strange romantic amusements.
Taking a deep breath, she said, “Senior Brother… that is all I wished to report. As for how the matter should ultimately be handled, that still depends on your judgment. If Senior Brother has no further instructions, I shall take my leave first.”
Seeing that she truly did not expose him, Long Yin even had the leisure to thank her with a smile inside her mind. But having someone able to hear one’s thoughts at any time, even speak directly inside one’s heart whenever they wished, was a sensation that made Bai Ruolin’s scalp go numb.
Only now did she suddenly realize just how terrifying the Heavenly Dao truly was.
How did her Senior Brother endure this? Unless… he actually liked this sort of thing?!
Bai Ruolin could not make sense of it, no matter how she thought about it.
Meanwhile, the very Senior Brother she was inwardly criticizing merely nodded while holding the child. “You’ve worked hard. I already know about that matter. I’ll handle it later.”
At this moment, Bai Ruolin looked at Feng Qingyun like a lamb that had already walked into a tiger’s jaws yet still believed itself the wolf. Before leaving, she ultimately could not resist reminding him:
“The Xiān Gōng Sect has been extremely busy lately. If Senior Brother intends to hold a Dao companion ceremony with Senior… in the near future, please inform me in advance.”
She had deliberately changed her form of address for Long Yin from Young Master to the Senior she used before, specifically to remind Feng Qingyun.
Unfortunately, her Senior Brother, whose eyes had already been clouded by a fox demon, failed to understand the hint at all. Holding the child, he smilingly replied: “Many thanks, Junior Sister.”
And after that… there was no after that.
Bai Ruolin: “……”
Under Long Yin’s half-smiling gaze, she silently cursed the absurdity of it all in her heart. She raised a hand to wipe her face, then turned and left.
Actually, for someone who normally wasn’t so talkative, Bai Ruolin had said an unusual amount today. Feng Qingyun vaguely sensed that something was off, but the moment Bai Ruolin left, Long Yin immediately dropped the radiant smile he’d been wearing moments ago. Leaning against the desk before Feng Qingyun, he lowered his eyes and fell silent, looking either like someone who had done something wrong or someone who had been wronged.
Feng Qingyun’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. Casually, he took out a blank jade slip for the little merfolk in his arms to play with while asking, “What’s wrong?”
Long Yin pretended to hesitate, unwilling to speak at first. Only after Feng Qingyun pressed him repeatedly did he finally recount what had happened earlier, though he conveniently cut off both the beginning and end of the story.
“…Those words were truly foul. I hadn’t intended to bring little Beichen there in the first place, but who knew they missed Senior so much they slipped off to find me instead… and ended up hearing everything.”
He looked utterly guilt-ridden, as though blaming himself for letting the child hear such vulgarities.
And fortunately for him, the little merfolk eagerly chimed in on cue. Nodding furiously, the child defended their father indignantly, shouting, “Dandan heard someone scolding Fa… scolding Big Brother! He said really awful things!”
Feng Qingyun’s face instantly darkened, and he immediately moved to summon Wei Fang for questioning.
But if Wei Fang were truly dragged over here, with how spineless he became whenever facing authority, wouldn’t the entire act fall apart at once?
Long Yin snapped back to attention and hurriedly said, “Senior needn’t make such a fuss over me! If outsiders hear about it, they’ll probably accuse me of whispering poison into your pillow again. Besides, I already taught him a lesson. Letting the matter end here is enough.”
After speaking with feigned magnanimity, he paused and glanced around before adding hesitantly:
“It’s just… the method I used may have been a little excessive…”
He looked pitiful, like someone terrified of being scolded.
Truthfully, though, if one paid attention to the details, his acting was rather exaggerated. Compared to the genuine little lover he’d once been, this imitation was almost laughably clumsy.
But when one is in love, flaws become virtues.
Feng Qingyun failed to notice anything wrong at all. Instead, he frowned in concern and asked, “How excessive? Did you kill them?”
“…Of course not!” Long Yin immediately replied. After a pause, he added, “I was only angry enough to destroy their Master’s tombstone.”
Even as he spoke, he carefully studied Feng Qingyun’s expression, seemingly afraid of angering him. Yet, upon hearing it was merely something so trivial, Feng Qingyun simply waved a hand dismissively.
“It’s nothing serious. They never should have erected a monument for Mu Hanyang in the first place. Since it’s destroyed, then so be it.”
However, after a brief pause, he still didn’t abandon the idea of punishing Wei Fang.
Earlier, Bai Ruolin had specifically come to speak to him about this matter, and now Long Yin had brought it up again as well. After pondering for a moment, Feng Qingyun said, “Among Mu Hanyang’s three disciples, Hua Ying may stay. As for Liu Wu… he can be observed a while longer. But Wei Fang, we had already given him chances, yet he repeatedly oversteps his bounds.”
“A disciple who disrespects his elders and behaves so recklessly behind others’ backs cannot be allowed to remain in the Xiān Gōng Sect.”
The very same Long Yin who had just moments ago hypocritically pleaded for Wei Fang’s mercy now said nothing at all after seeing Feng Qingyun become so angry that he didn’t even wish to summon the man before immediately deciding to expel him from the sect.
He merely curled his lips upward ever so slightly.
And just like that, Feng Qingyun coldly took out a jade slip and personally inscribed the Sect Leader’s decree upon it before transmitting his verbal order into the slip:
“Wei Fang has repeatedly slandered and defamed fellow guest elders and sect members behind their backs. Despite repeated warnings, he refuses to repent. His cultivation shall be abolished, and he shall be expelled from the sect.”
“From this day onward, the branch ‘Hanyang’ shall likewise be abolished. Hua Ying and Liu Wu are to choose another designation. Henceforth, no disciple shall use the words ‘Hanyang’ as one of the sect’s Palace titles again. Let this serve as a warning to others.”
With a simple streak of flowing light sent forth, Wei Fang’s fate was sealed.
Ironically enough, after all the twists and turns, the true incarnation of the Heavenly Dao had returned to the world through Feng Qingyun’s tireless devotion and love, while the false Heavenly Dao incarnation was ultimately erased completely from within and beyond the Xiān Gōng Sect due to Feng Qingyun’s disgust.
As though everything had been destined from the very beginning.
Still, although expelling Wei Fang to rectify the sect’s atmosphere was technically a good thing, considering the timing, it looked suspiciously like the result of a favored concubine meddling in politics rather than an actual disciplinary reform.
Yet Long Yin showed not the slightest bit of self-reflection.
On the contrary, he found this sort of pampered favoritism immensely satisfying.
And so, not only was he in no hurry whatsoever to reveal the truth to Feng Qingyun, he even tactfully waited until Feng Qingyun had finished handling all these affairs before casually asking:
“Senior… aren’t you curious why I became so angry that I destroyed their Master’s tombstone?”
Feng Qingyun could hear the hidden meaning beneath his words and lifted his eyes toward him.
“Why?”
“Because they said their Master was Senior’s properly wedded Dao companion…” Long Yin deliberately lowered his voice, sounding deeply aggrieved. “Is that true?”
At this, Feng Qingyun finally lost his patience entirely, and his expression darkened at once.
“Do not listen to their nonsense. There was neither husband-and-wife reality between him and me, nor was what happened in the previous life anything more than a joke! What properly wedded Dao companion?!”
Long Yin immediately pretended to sigh in relief.
“I thought perhaps he was Senior’s deceased spouse…”
Feng Qingyun sneered coldly.
“He wasn’t worthy.”
Long Yin smoothly followed up, “Exactly. Thinking about it afterward, I also felt someone like him could never deserve to remain unforgettable in Senior’s heart all this time.”
Feng Qingyun paused. Raising his eyes, he stared unblinkingly at Long Yin for a moment before arching a brow.
“You think I’m still pining for him?”
“Of course,” Long Yin instantly replied in a sour tone. “Senior’s feelings for him are obvious enough for heaven and earth to witness. It makes me unable to resist wondering… what sort of person was Senior’s deceased spouse exactly?”
Feng Qingyun looked at him with a half-smile. Only after a long while did he softly snort and avert his gaze.
“Him? Full of lies. Not a single truthful sentence ever came out of his mouth. He was skilled at every trick for coaxing people… yet when it came time for the real battle, he lost his nerve instead.”
Long Yin smiled faintly, his eyes dark and unreadable, though his voice remained deliberately innocent.
“What do you mean by ‘losing his nerve when it came to the real battle’?”
“Oh? You want to know, dear little husband?” Feng Qingyun raised a brow. Lowering his eyes briefly to the child quietly playing with the jade slip, he then leaned close to Long Yin’s ear and whispered:
“…Wait until tonight, and you’ll find out.”
Long Yin’s throat tightened. A dangerous darkness flashed through his eyes before vanishing again, though outwardly he only laughed in that same clear, youthful voice.
“Then I shall await Senior’s favor tonight.”
The disciple recruitment matter had temporarily come to an end. Once Feng Qingyun laid down the general framework, the remaining details naturally became matters for the subordinates below to handle.
As for the lingering problems left behind by Mu Hanyang, they too had finally been resolved for the time being.
After several days of nonstop work, this was the first time Feng Qingyun had truly felt light and unburdened again.
Ever since his rebirth, he actually hadn’t managed the Xiān Gōng Sect’s mundane affairs with such exhausting intensity until these past few days. In this life, he’d long since grown accustomed to leisurely days spent beside Long Yin, when even lychees would be peeled and fed directly to him. Suddenly becoming this busy again felt strangely unfamiliar.
At last gaining a sliver of free time, he shed his outer robes and stepped barefoot into the hot spring beneath heaven’s canopy, allowing the warm waters to swallow him whole.
After resting with his eyes closed for some time, Feng Qingyun slowly opened them again within the spring.
When he lifted his gaze toward the moon overhead, he genuinely felt as though lifetimes had passed.
For a moment, he truly couldn’t understand why, in his previous life, he had abandoned such joyful days only to exhaust himself into that thankless state of endless sacrifice and devotion. What exactly had he been striving for?
Feng Qingyun withdrew his gaze and soaked quietly in the spring. Not long after closing his eyes again, he heard footsteps approaching.
Opening his eyes and looking up, he saw Long Yin approaching beneath the moonlight, dressed only in a black inner robe.
The man cut a striking figure, graceful as jade, and devastatingly handsome. Only, the black inner robe he wore seemed a little too tight. When the pale light brushed across it, the muscles hidden beneath were outlined with tantalizing clarity.
Feng Qingyun made no effort whatsoever to hide his gaze. He simply looked up and admired him openly.
Long Yin walked to his side and slowly knelt behind him, gathering Feng Qingyun into his arms and lowering his head gently against his shoulder. The posture was almost one of humble attendance, practiced to an unbelievable degree.
Seeing this, Feng Qingyun couldn’t suppress the smile tugging at his lips. Naturally tilting his head back, he hooked an arm around Long Yin’s neck and drew him into a lingering, intimate kiss.
When the kiss finally broke, Long Yin held him by the shoulders and murmured beside his ear, “Little Beichen’s already asleep.”
The careful way he said it gave him the air of a virtuous husband who had just finished coaxing the child to bed before coming to attend to his wife. Feng Qingyun couldn’t help curling his lips upward, though he said nothing. Smiling, he simply lifted a hand and slid it through the opening of Long Yin’s robe.
Where Feng Qingyun couldn’t see, Long Yin smiled faintly. Outwardly, however, he remained perfectly composed, allowing himself to be touched without resistance.
Unfortunately, Feng Qingyun seemed to have already grown too familiar with that body. After only a few strokes, he appeared to lose interest and withdrew his hand, then leisurely tugged open Long Yin’s belt instead.
The black robe immediately loosened and fell open, exposing the firm muscles beneath to the cool air. Feng Qingyun looked him over meaningfully, smiled, and then abruptly let go.
Long Yin’s breathing stalled. Just as he was about to speak, Feng Qingyun lowered his eyes and gathered up his long hair floating in the spring water before suddenly rising from the pool. In an instant, a sweep of pale skin covered in shimmering droplets crashed into Long Yin’s vision.
This time, there wasn’t a trace of acting left.
Long Yin froze completely, staring unblinkingly at the breathtakingly sensual sight beneath the moonlight. The next moment, Feng Qingyun smiled faintly through his stunned silence and grabbed him by the collar, yanking downward.
Water splashed everywhere as Long Yin was suddenly dragged into the pool. His black inner robe was instantly soaked through, clinging semi-transparently to his body. The wet fabric outlined every inch of his muscles perfectly while still stubbornly covering them, creating an entirely different kind of allure.
Beneath Feng Qingyun’s unconcealed smile, Long Yin raised a hand to wipe the water from his face and half-knelt in the water as he looked up at him. From that low angle, he took in every bit of the beauty and commanding allure of the man before him.
Feng Qingyun smiled as he lowered his gaze and brushed the water from Long Yin’s face. It was an incredibly simple gesture, yet it sent a shiver racing across Long Yin’s scalp. Unable to restrain himself, he wrapped an arm around Feng Qingyun’s waist and lowered his head to press a kiss against his lower abdomen.
The kiss made Feng Qingyun tremble all over. In a moment of distraction, Long Yin caught him by the waist and pushed him down against the edge of the pool.
An overwhelming flood of kisses descended immediately afterward. They felt like a river of stars pouring over his body all at once, so intoxicatingly pleasant that it made one want to close their eyes and simply surrender.
Feng Qingyun didn’t bother pretending to be reserved. He lifted his arms and wrapped them around Long Yin’s shoulders, pressing against the burning muscles beneath his palms as he tilted his head up to kiss him back.
The sound of disturbed water mingled with the wet sounds of lips and tongues tangling together, echoing softly beneath the moonlight. The atmosphere became unbearably intimate, saturated with a dizzying sort of ambiguity. And yet, at precisely such a perfect moment, Long Yin suddenly asked in the middle of their heated kisses:
“Senior… between your late spouse and me, who do you love more?”
Against such a beautiful scene of moonlight and spring waters, the question was undeniably mood-killing.
But ever since their reunion, Long Yin had always lacked a profound sense of security, so Feng Qingyun didn’t take it to heart at all. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Long Yin’s shoulders, leaned up, and kissed him first, smiling as he said: “Haven’t I already told you countless times? Of course, I like you more.”
Normally, hearing that should have been enough to satisfy the insecure little puppy and send him happily back to work. Yet for some reason, Long Yin refused to let it go tonight. While kissing and licking at Feng Qingyun’s collarbone, he murmured softly:
“Then aside from being young and obedient… what else does Senior like about me?”
Feng Qingyun only assumed he’d been affected by what happened with Mu Hanyang. Not only did he not find him annoying, but he even found him rather cute.
“If you ask me now, I honestly can’t answer right away…” Feng Qingyun tilted his head back, half-lidded eyes gazing toward the bright moon overhead while he breathed softly, fingers threading through Long Yin’s hair. “But just like that moon in the sky… no matter how beautiful it is, it’s already become a dead spouse, hanging high above where it can only be admired from afar and remembered. How could it compare to you, this moon in the water that I can reach out and touch?”
Long Yin narrowed his eyes at that.
Then, as if nothing were amiss, he lifted his head from Feng Qingyun’s neck. The man in his arms was smiling brilliantly, his wet hair clinging to his chest in striking contrast against pale skin, beautiful enough to steal one’s soul.
“Senior is absolutely right,” Long Yin said as though utterly bewitched by him, pulling him close and kissing him uncontrollably. “Since he was destined to die young, then naturally he can only watch from afar in the heavens…”
“I suppose this is what Senior meant by losing his nerve once it truly mattered.”
Feng Qingyun had already been thoroughly dazzled by the handsome face and firm muscles before him and failed entirely to catch the hidden meaning beneath those words.
Besides, Long Yin had already lowered his head to kiss him again. Feng Qingyun quickly melted beneath those kisses, his whole body going soft. All he could think was that this brat’s kissing skills seemed exceptionally good tonight.
Aroused beyond restraint, he skillfully slid a hand up along Long Yin’s abs before hooking both arms around his shoulders and shifting to straddle him.
Ordinarily, there would have been nothing unusual about that.
After all, Long Yin’s bedroom skills after losing his memory had truly been impossible to praise. Over the past few days, Feng Qingyun had basically done everything himself. Otherwise, what was supposed to be relaxation after a long day would have turned into outright torture instead.
By all logic, tonight shouldn’t have been any different. Long Yin merely needed to sit there quietly and look handsome like a decorative wooden post.
And Long Yin truly had been doing exactly that. He sat there silently and obediently without making a sound.
The problem, however, wasn’t with him.
It was with Feng Qingyun.
The instant he smoothly settled himself onto Long Yin’s lap while clinging to his shoulders, his entire body suddenly froze mid-motion. His phoenix eyes, hazy moments ago with desire, widened completely as he stared through the steam at the man beneath him.
W-why are there two…?!
Although the memoryless Long Yin had been inexperienced and utterly lacking in technique, at least he’d still been within the range of what normal people could reasonably accept. Otherwise, Feng Qingyun would never have tolerated him in bed for this long.
But what exactly was this now?!
Feng Qingyun stared at the man before him in shock. The atmosphere seemed to freeze solid in that instant, and the entire hot spring fell deathly silent.
Yet Long Yin merely lounged leisurely against the edge of the pool, looking entirely composed. At that moment, he almost seemed like the one being served instead.
Through the mist, he gazed at the beauty awkwardly frozen atop him with an unfathomable smile in his eyes, asking:
“Why did you stop, Little Palace Master?”
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