Xie Liufeng thought for a moment and decided to try again to persuade him: “Actually… even though this sounds serious, it’s not urgent. Whatever happens, I will always stand in front of you.”

He had even dared to kill gods and sever the Heavenly Ladder… If this was really meant to happen, although he didn’t have much experience, he could still study it and figure out what was going on.

He wasn’t concerned about having a few more chains on his soul.

Chu Xinghui caught the hidden meaning in his words and looked up at him, suspicious.

No wonder Xie Liufeng hadn’t mentioned this on their way back.

It turned out he had already made up his mind… planning to take it upon himself first.

He asked Xie Liufeng: “So, how do you plan to solve this?”

Xie Liufeng hesitated and tried to brush it off: “Well… I’ll study it some more. Once I have a new idea, I’ll definitely tell you.”

But Chu Xinghui wasn’t willing to let him avoid the question: “I’m not your disciple anymore. I’m your Dao partner. I don’t need you to protect me. I will stand with you.”

Xie Liufeng couldn’t help but interject: “…Weren’t you just calling me Master?”

Chu Xinghui silenced him with a quick kiss on his lips, his gaze fierce: “Don’t speak.”

Xie Liufeng went quiet.

Chu Xinghui continued, his tone serious: “So from now on, if you ever think like this again, think of me first. If something happens to you, I won’t survive either. You’re not protecting me by doing this, you’re harming me.”

Xie Liufeng tried to defend himself: “Actually, I didn’t mean… I was just thinking, I’m not sure I’ll actually do it.”

Chu Xinghui pressed him down and bit his cheek hard: “You dare speak!”

Xie Liufeng collapsed onto the chair, unable to hold back a hiss.

He didn’t dare argue anymore.

He thought for a long while, then finally sighed and agreed: “Alright, alright, I’ll teach you.”

…Chu Xinghui was right. He had grown up and didn’t need him constantly protecting him. They could stand together and face their fate together.

Chu Xinghui glanced at the person he had pinned under his hand, casually kissed him, then released him and returned to his seat.

He stared at Xie Liufeng with a piercing gaze.

Xie Liufeng felt uneasy under his stare and pulled out an old jade slip from his storage ring, handing it over to Chu Xinghui: “Here, take this.”

Seeing that Chu Xinghui had accepted it, he added solemnly: “The process of cultivation will be very painful. If you can’t stand it, just call out to me.”

Chu Xinghui asked: “How did you manage to endure it back then?”

Xie Liufeng replied naturally: “Back then, I didn’t have you, but now I do.”

He emphasized: “This is the help I’m giving you as your Dao companion, within reasonable limits.”

Chu Xinghui didn’t respond but grabbed his hand, which Xie Liufeng hadn’t yet pulled back.

He lowered his head and skimmed through the jade slip’s contents, memorizing the technique and estimating the time he’d need. He then told Xie Liufeng about his plan: “I’ll enter seclusion this afternoon and it’ll take me three days.”

Xie Liufeng still seemed a bit worried: “Do you want me to accompany you?”

Three days wouldn’t delay much, after all.

Chu Xinghui glanced at him but didn’t say yes or no.

Xie Liufeng understood his meaning: “Alright, you wait for me. I’ll first discuss the ‘sacrifice’ matter with Fang Yan and the other sects. Then, I’ll come and accompany you in seclusion.”

Chu Xinghui nodded, agreeing with the plan.

In the afternoon, the two of them finished their tasks and began their seclusion.

This seclusion didn’t need to be in a special place. They didn’t bother looking for a new one, and instead, chose to do it in Chu Xinghui’s room.

The black bird, noticing that the two were getting cozy, popped its head out of its nest and looked at them for a while. It then hopped down and tried to follow them inside.

Unaware of its little mischief, the two closed the door, trapping it outside.

The black bird, undeterred, flew up to the window sill and pecked a small hole in the window paper to see what was going on inside.

Chu Xinghui sensed the little trick and effortlessly used his spiritual power to seal the hole the bird had made.

He still didn’t quite understand. This bird was clearly a sword spirit, yet it was so obsessed with watching them. It seemed like it couldn’t help but stick its beak in whenever it saw something happening, and it was always unlucky, never learning its lesson.

The black bird, pushed by the residual force of his spiritual power, let out a squawk and fell to the ground with a plop, forming a little black bird pancake.

It got back up, fluffed its feathers, and cursed under its breath as it flew back to its nest.

Feeling done with the nosy bird, Chu Xinghui took the jade slip Xie Liufeng had given him earlier and began to carefully read the technique again.

As he read, he listened to Xie Liufeng explaining the key points.

Half an hour later, Chu Xinghui felt he had a good grasp of it and asked: “Should I begin now?”

Xie Liufeng rubbed his head and comforted him in advance: “It’s okay if you fail, I’m right here.”

Chu Xinghui… didn’t respond.

He gave Xie Liufeng a long, meaningful look.

Xie Liufeng, sensing the tension, quickly changed his words: “Our Xingxing is the smartest. You will definitely succeed!”

Chu Xinghui withdrew his gaze and sat down to meditate.

Xie Liufeng found a spot and sat down, watching him attentively.

As he watched, he couldn’t help but get distracted by the side profile of Chu Xinghui.

His Dao companion… really was very handsome.

He was exactly to Xie Liufeng’s taste. No wonder when they first met, Xie Liufeng had wanted to just take him home right away.

Realizing his thoughts were getting a bit off-track, Xie Liufeng quickly snapped back to focus and began paying close attention to Chu Xinghui’s condition.

The cultivation process went smoothly for Chu Xinghui.

However, this technique was different from most conventional cultivation methods. The way it circulated spiritual energy wasn’t the same, and it utilized meridians that hadn’t fully opened, which meant pain was inevitable.

The next day, Chu Xinghui’s forehead began to glisten with cold sweat, and his brows furrowed tightly.

He rarely showed such a pained expression, so it was clear how much it hurt.

But Chu Xinghui didn’t call out to him. Xie Liufeng circled around him twice, still reluctant to interfere.

By the third day, around noon, Chu Xinghui’s spiritual energy began to stabilize, and the pain on his face had vanished.

The progress was much faster than they had anticipated.

Xie Liufeng observed him for a while and breathed a small sigh of relief.

According to his experience, a little more stabilization, and he would be almost done.

Just as Chu Xinghui was about to finish the technique and open his eyes, he suddenly felt a strange, vague sensation.

He followed the feeling, diving deep into his consciousness.

Perhaps it was because this technique was created by Xie Liufeng, or because his soul had intertwined with Xie Liufeng’s… but it seemed as though he saw Xie Liufeng.

He saw him as a young, unrefined version of Xie Liufeng.

This version of Xie Liufeng was about the same age as when they had first met in the illusion. He was curled up on the ground, looking terribly disheveled.

Before a technique takes form, it must go through several trials. Even the most talented individuals couldn’t avoid this law.

Chu Xinghui had always known that Xie Liufeng liked to gloss over many things when he talked about his past.

But he hadn’t imagined… that he had endured so much pain back then.

Xie Liufeng, who had just relaxed, suddenly noticed that Chu Xinghui’s condition was unusual.

It was as though he was trapped in some kind of trance.

Furrowing his brows, he walked over to check on Chu Xinghui.

Even in this state, Chu Xinghui didn’t resist, allowing Xie Liufeng’s spiritual power to flow through his body for a check.

Xie Liufeng checked Chu Xinghui’s condition again, his expression becoming even more serious. He gently touched the boundary of Chu Xinghui’s consciousness.

Suddenly, Chu Xinghui opened his consciousness and yanked Xie Liufeng into it.

Before Xie Liufeng could react, he was immediately pinned by Chu Xinghui’s soul and kissed deeply.

The kiss left Xie Liufeng a little dazed. He had planned to remain composed, but the temptation was too strong.

Unable to hold back, he responded by pulling Chu Xinghui’s soul closer and kissing him back.

After a few moments, Xie Liufeng felt Chu Xinghui’s soul stabilizing, and he slowly pulled back, holding him in a comforting embrace.

Chu Xinghui’s soul still resembled his physical appearance, though much smaller. It was as translucent as his original body, appearing calm and gentle—a sight that made Xie Liufeng feel he could almost devour it.

He quickly snapped himself out of this dangerous line of thought and lightly tapped Chu Xinghui’s forehead: “Alright, wake up.”

Chu Xinghui didn’t open his eyes right away but first reached out and grasped Xie Liufeng’s hand. Slowly, he lifted his eyelids and stared blankly at the person in front of him.

Xie Liufeng still felt a bit guilty about his earlier lack of restraint in Chu Xinghui’s consciousness.

He wasn’t exactly the most composed person, after all.

When he felt Chu Xinghui squeeze his hand, Xie Liufeng snapped out of his thoughts and smiled gently at him. He reached out with his other hand and pinched his cheek: “All better now? Do you understand how much it hurts?”

Chu Xinghui didn’t answer, but his eyes fluttered, and a single teardrop fell from his lashes.

He was crying.

Xie Liufeng was startled and panicked, wrapping his arms around Chu Xinghui and checking his condition again: “Is it really that painful?”

Chu Xinghui buried his face in Xie Liufeng’s chest, wiping his tears on his clothes. His voice was hoarse as he murmured: “Yes, it hurts… a lot.”

The pain he was experiencing was nothing compared to what Xie Liufeng had gone through in the past, though.

Hearing him, Xie Liufeng’s heart clenched, and he instinctively pulled him even closer.

Chu Xinghui clung tightly to his clothes, whispering his name: “Xie Liufeng.”

Xie Liufeng softly responded: “I’m here.”

Chu Xinghui continued to call out his name several times, and slowly, his emotions calmed down.

Xie Liufeng, sensing that the emotional turmoil wasn’t entirely caused by pain, guessed: “Did you see something just now?”

Chu Xinghui held onto his shirt and quietly muttered: “I saw you.”

Xie Liufeng understood. He sighed and lowered his head to kiss him gently.

The two of them stayed in that embrace for a while longer.

Though Chu Xinghui had mostly recovered, he was still reluctant to leave Xie Liufeng’s arms, instead nuzzling against his neck in a clingy, affectionate manner.

Xie Liufeng, already struggling to contain himself, felt himself at his limit, but then Chu Xinghui suddenly stopped.

“Wait for a moment,” Chu Xinghui said, sensing the fluctuation of his inner spiritual power. He jumped out of Xie Liufeng’s arms: “I think I’m about to break through.”

After saying that, he abandoned Xie Liufeng and returned to his meditative position.

Xie Liufeng stood there, slightly dazed, feeling an inexplicable loneliness.

His big, affectionate Dao companion had just been in his arms, all soft and clingy, but now, just like that, had abandoned him to break through.

Chu Xinghui’s breakthrough went smoothly.

His cultivation foundation was already solid, and after practicing the new technique, he had gained fresh insights. His cultivation quickly reached the late Golden Core stage.

After completing his breakthrough, he originally planned to open his eyes, but just as he was about to, his spiritual energy fluctuated again.

Chu Xinghui calmed his mind and continued to sense his internal energy.

He faintly felt that he had touched the barrier to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, the time wasn’t right.

Chu Xinghui tried to push through the invisible barrier, but after several attempts, he realized it wasn’t the right moment and withdrew from his cultivation state.

Since he had already touched the barrier, it was only a matter of time before he could break through to Nascent Soul. There was no need to rush.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed during his breakthrough, but when he opened his eyes, he saw the familiar surroundings and immediately looked for Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng wasn’t in the room anymore. He had apparently left at some point.

Chu Xinghui stepped out of the room and soon found Xie Liufeng, who was standing with his back to him, floating above the black bird’s nest and using spiritual power to work on something.

The black bird, which had been sleeping in its nest, was now being casually pulled out by Xie Liufeng and placed somewhere else.

The black bird, clearly confused, eventually raised one claw, wanting to resist but not daring to. In the end, it grudgingly found a spot on a nearby branch, making itself comfortable before closing its eyes to sleep again.

“Forget it. Sleeping is sleeping, no matter where,” it seemed to think.

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He looked around and realized that during his breakthrough, something strange had happened to their home.

For example, there were red silk ribbons hanging at the entrance, large “Happiness” characters pasted on every door, and various ceremonial objects he couldn’t quite identify placed around. Even his own room had two red lanterns hanging on the door.

It was a very flashy and festive sight.

Chu Xinghui was a bit confused and unconsciously pinched his own cheek.

Had he entered a magic illusion?

He couldn’t help but take a few steps toward Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng noticed him coming out and turned to check his condition. Seeing that he was fine, he immediately instructed him: “Help me check if this is pasted straight.”

It was only then that Chu Xinghui realized what Xie Liufeng was doing.

Apparently, Xie Liufeng had somehow obtained a small version of the big red “Happiness” character and was gleefully sticking it on the black bird’s nest.

Chu Xinghui thought this was really absurd, but still honestly walked to the tree, carefully observed for a moment, and answered: “…A bit to the right.”

Xie Liufeng moved a little to the right and asked Chu Xinghui’s opinion: “How about this?”

Chu Xinghui nodded: “It’s right.”

Xie Liufeng then stuck it on.

After he stuck it, he looked around and felt quite satisfied.

Just as Xie Liufeng was about to go down, his gaze unintentionally swept over the black bird that was dozing on a branch. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly had a new idea.

…I wonder if a coat of bright red feathers would be more festive? Or maybe adding a bit of gold to the red feathers would also look nice.

Even if it’s not natural, I can dye it… The sap of the osmanthus flower should work well, though I wonder if the sword spirit can be dyed like ordinary birds or beasts.

The black bird, half asleep, suddenly sensed a deep chill under Xie Liufeng’s gaze. It opened its eyes warily and quickly flew away.

Xie Liufeng could only regretfully fall from mid-air and walked over to Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui carefully observed him.

Xie Liufeng smiled and made eye contact with him, extending his hand and waving it in front of his eyes.

Chu Xinghui grabbed his hand and seriously reached out to pinch his face.

Xie Liufeng stood still, letting him pinch.

It was real, not an illusion.

Chu Xinghui casually pinched two more times, feeling reassured.

He asked Xie Liufeng: “How long has it been since I broke through?”

It couldn’t be that the moment I come out, I’ll be dragged off to get married, right?

Xie Liufeng calculated for him: “Seven days, today is the sixth day.”

He reached out and poked Chu Xinghui’s head: “If you don’t come out soon, I’ll have to make decisions on the wedding items myself.”

Chu Xinghui casually grabbed his hand before he could withdraw it, holding it in his own and then asked about the current situation: “What’s the situation now?”

Xie Liufeng knew what he was concerned about and began telling him about the progress over the past few days: “There’s still no news from Yue Yao, but two of the cultivators who were treated as ‘sacrificial offerings’ have been found, both are young disciples from Wanfa Sect and Qizong, both top talents of their generation. Fortunately, up until now, none of the cultivators treated as sacrifices have suffered any injuries.”

He continued: “Right now, the two of them, along with Ming Xiao’s master, are investigating their actions to see if there’s any common pattern. They’re trying to figure out how these people were captured by Biyun, We should have some news in a couple of days.”

Their approach was correct, and once they figured out Biyun method, it would be quicker to find the remaining two “sacrificial” cultivators.

Chu Xinghui nodded, feeling somewhat reassured.

It’s good that there’s progress.

Xie Liufeng suddenly changed the subject: “But right now, these can be postponed a bit. Our main focus now is—”

He deliberately elongated the tone, smiling as he looked at Chu Xinghui.

Chu Xinghui snapped back to his senses and asked: “What’s the focus?”

Xie Liufeng took out a list and shared his plan with him: “The focus is that I’ve already booked the Wanbao Trading Company to handle our same-cultivation ceremony. This is the list of items I’ve reserved. Take a look.”

He thought for a moment and pointed out an important expenditure on the list: “Oh, and these few wedding outfits, the ones we discussed earlier as options. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to catch up once you came out, so I went ahead and ordered them. They should be ready in a while.”

Chu Xinghui took the list and read it carefully.

The more he read, the more serious his expression became.

Xie Liufeng looked at him: “Don’t you like them? Shang Ling recommended them to me.”

Chu Xinghui was quite satisfied with the aesthetic, but still had some concerns: “They look good… but aren’t they a bit expensive?”

No… they should be very expensive. These exquisite items are more than twice the price of what would normally be used for a cultivation couple.

Some of them were even several times more expensive.

Chu Xinghui had once lived in extreme poverty in his early years and was still very sensitive to prices.

He suspected that Xie Liufeng had been tricked by someone.

Xie Liufeng said confidently: “Yes, they’re the most expensive. It’s what I requested.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

He was a bit worried about Xie Liufeng’s spending habits. After thinking for a moment, he silently handed over his storage bag.

Xie Liufeng observed his expression, roughly understanding what he was thinking, but didn’t take the storage bag. Instead, he teased him: “What’s this? Not married yet, and you’re already giving me your dowry?”

Chu Xinghui became even more worried: “If the money isn’t enough… I’ll supplement a little.”

Although the two of them had always held the attitude of “as long as we have it when we need it,” and didn’t like to keep track of finances unless they were particularly tight, he had saved up some money over the past two years.

He didn’t spend much on himself, so this money could be used to support Xie Liufeng or to help pay for their wedding.

It was just that his seemingly extravagant partner might be a bit difficult to support.

Although he knew Xie Liufeng didn’t need him to support him, Chu Xinghui still couldn’t help but start to think about whether he should take on a few more tasks to earn money and support their household.

Xie Liufeng saw the expression on his face and couldn’t help but laugh: “You know I’m not good with money, so you’re not supposed to manage my accounts, but why are you trying to supplement me?”

He remembered that in other couples, if one side spent too extravagantly, the other would confiscate the financial management rights.

Chu Xinghui looked at him and blinked.

He thought for a moment and answered seriously: “I’m not managing your accounts. All my money is yours.”

Xie Liufeng felt his heart melt, but couldn’t resist teasing him: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the money and run?”

Chu Xinghui thought for a moment: “Then you’d better leave me an address.”

Xie Liufeng laughed: “What’s this? You want to come and catch me for revenge?”

Chu Xinghui looked at him and said: “When I earn more money, I can send it to you.”

If he was really planning to run off with his money, it must mean he was extremely poor.

He needed to earn more money to send to Xie Liufeng, to keep his partner from starving.

Xie Liufeng fell silent.

He began to feel that his earlier assumption was really quite heartless.

Then, he pulled Chu Xinghui into his embrace and gave him a tight squeeze.

Afterward, Xie Liufeng pointed to the object hanging around Chu Xinghui’s neck and said: “Then my money also belongs to you.”

Chu Xinghui, somewhat confused, touched the pendant around his neck.

It was a small jade sword that Xie Liufeng had given him to wear, and he hadn’t taken it off since.

He asked Xie Liufeng: “What exactly is this thing?”

Xie Liufeng scratched his nose and finally answered honestly: “It’s a key to the storage room. It contains some unused collectibles, the small locked door at the corner of the Qingjing Peak.”

Once Xie Liufeng said this, Chu Xinghui recalled something: “Isn’t that an abandoned storage room?”

Qingjing Peak was large, but the places they lived and frequented weren’t extensive. The area Xie Liufeng mentioned had been neglected for a long time. The door was covered in dust, and passing by, the dust would get in your face. Chu Xinghui didn’t like going there even when practicing his sword.

…Now Xie Liufeng told him it was a storage room.

Who keeps a storage room looking like that?

“Yeah, it’s not in use, so it’s pretty much a junk room,” Xie Liufeng explained confidently: “That’s why it’s fine to call it an abandoned storage room. The difference is, the junk inside is actually quite valuable.”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

The expression on his face was so obvious that Xie Liufeng couldn’t help but laugh.

Chu Xinghui looked up at him and asked, a bit suspiciously: “Just the key to the storage room?”

Xie Liufeng gave a look of innocent ignorance and, with a smile, said: “I’m not sure either. Why don’t you guess?”

Chu Xinghui: “…”

What a truly annoying partner.

 

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