Chapter 52

Translated by boilpoil Edited by boilpoil

Bai Lianhua tries his best to maintain his calm expression as he exits Yang Chongyin’s embrace. Thankfully Yang Chongyin also doesn’t seem to want to stop him, and let go naturally.

He even has the presence of mind to tidy up the slightly ruffled up clothes of the half risen Bai Lianhua, smoothing the creases on his sleeves while still lying down.

Bai Lianhua takes a deep breath. He thinks he doesn’t deserve this niceness.

While the system is trying to muddle the situation by murmuring, “I really see the host you and the antagonist giving off the feeling of a long time couple, you know.”

“Shut up… There’s no special relationship between me and the antagonist, what’s with the longtime couple thing.”

The system shrugs while quietly countering – not before this, but perhaps after this.

Even if they’re both white lotuses, its silly host at most has a blotch of black in a gradient on his petals every so often, and it fades away regularly too… With just this, he is still always on the verge of crying about if he’s become scummy or a black lotus.

What about Yang Chongyin? Who knows how they got so talented, with just a deceiving layer of whiteness on the surface while black all the way to the core, but still seems calm and noble as always. He’s too much for the host, he can’t win.

…

After the embarrassing early morning incident and after they’ve had breakfast in the tavern, Yang Chongyin asks, “is Bai shidi still going to divine for others today?”

Bai Lianhua doesn’t have an answer yet, so he appears hesitant. Since he made money in order to see the antagonist, and it’s now already done, in this case he can let go.

But when he thinks about whether he will have to spend all the time here alone with Yang Chongyin, Bai Lianhua thinks he’d rather go out.

He’ll need some time to analyse Yang Chongyin’s current personality… It must be said that Yang Chongyin really is the antagonist that knows to conceal his true self the most since he started his return of white moonlight missions.

With Yang Chongyin right next to him, he doesn’t have the peace of mind to think bout it.

So Bai Lianhua tells Yang Chongyin with a faint smile on his face, “yeah. I’m going. It feels interesting. It’s also a bit of a trial for myself.”

So antagonist, go do what you need to do.

——I heard you were looking for artefacts? Is it really alright for you to be so casual about it?

Yang Chongyin nods in acknowledgement, but doesn’t seem interested in leaving him at all. He follows Bai Lianhua quietly all the way back to where they met yesterday.

Bai Lianhua tried to implicitly shoo him away but whenever Yang Chongyin looks him in the eye with those emotionless pupils he would discover in frustration that he can’t seem to speak out at all.

So instead he tries to brainwash himself into thinking nevermind, he’s now the little disciple that’s reunited with his well-acquainted senior disciple after such a long time. He needs to stay in character… So he should be happy about being with Yang Chongyin.

——Even so, being stared at by Yang Chongyin is still quite the mentally challenging thing for Bai Lianhua.

Especially when there are really people showing up for him to divine, Bai Lianhua feels more nervous. He doesn’t seem happy about the business at all.

This is like how back in the world he’s from, the dumb student getting supervised by the smart student when doing his exercises. You would feel like every stroke of yours might be wrong, and you’d always feel like handing the stage to them for the smarter of them to write.

The good news is that Yang Chongyin doesn’t blow his cover. Whether his divinations were right or wrong, he never laughed or anything.

Though, what’s unexpected for Bai Lianhua is that someone really hands the stage to the dalao present.

It’s a young man who’s asking about his prospects in his romance with his romantic interest.

Bai Lianhua plans to reject it… It’s not like he’s the people from before asking about the trivial or irrelevant things of their neighbours where it’s fine even if his divination was wrong. What if his blind divination really ends up making the situation for the man worse?

The man doesn’t want to give up, and looking to his side, Yang Chongyin who’s stayed silent the whole time without speaking also seems like quite the able immortal-like character himself, even more than Bai Lianhua who seems to be in charge here, so he asks, “since you’re together… Do you know divination as well?”

Not just Bai Lianhua is stunned at this sudden development, as Yang Chongyin also appeared surprised but he nods casually immediately afterwards.

“Then please divine for me, whether my thing with… her can succeed.” At the word ‘her,’ the straightforward-looking young man seemingly paused out of embarrassment and softened his tone unconsciously.

Clearly, he has genuine affection for his romantic interest.

And what surprises Bai Lianhua even more is that Yang Chongyin accepts it

At Yang Chongyin’s expertise, he no longer needs any auxiliary equipment to work out a normal person’s romantic prospects. He examines the young man’s face and is able to quickly discern the problems the man is facing trying to ask for her hand in marriage. He gives him the result as the man looks completely convinced in expression, “what you ask for will come true. There will be obstacles but all will be well in the end.”

The young man seems overjoyed. He completely ignores the set price of a divination on the store and takes out a piece of silver from his pocket, handing it to Yang Chongyin with a respectful gesture.

Now the person shocked is Yang Chongyin. He recollects himself quickly though and accepts it with a plain, normal look.

As the State Oracle himself, however, just a piece of silver? Even at 1000 gold bars and other treasures and curiosities attached, nobody could have made Yang Chongyin do something at all.

If the higher-ups in the capital saw that scene just now, they would definitely start questioning reality in a daze.

#Shocking discovery! State Oracle setting a small divination stall in the streets?! What for?#

#Disgraced? One piece of silver for the State Oracle to deign to perform a divination!#

Bai Lianhua has been rubbing his own face all along since Yang Chongyin accepted the divination business. He doesn’t know how he should feel.

Especially so when after the young man left, Yang Chongyin handed the piece of silver to him as if it was the natural thing to do.

Bai Lianhua “???”

Yang Chongyin chuckles, “since it’s Bai shidi’s stall, then this is of course part of your lines of fate.”

The system can’t help but pop up, “host, I believe the antagonist must have seen your extremely affectionate look when you were touching your purse looking at its contents yesterday, so…”

Bai Lianhua “…”

Oh no. His painstakingly crafted pure white, flawless image has gone ‘poof’… Now, in Yang Chongyin’s mind, he’s probably become a miser.

The system cheers him up, “don’t worry. The antagonist would only feel pity for you. He’ll lament whatever incident you had to experience to become so troubled for money.”

“Since you did successfully establish your naïve and earnest self, you know. This might not be a bad thing.”

Bai Lianhua “…” Uh, he actually felt, for a moment, like he wanted to say ‘then I’ll count on that’ in response?

…

Now that Yang Chongyin has followed him wandering about for another day and when Bai Lianhua thinks about how he’s still going to share a room with him for the night, he feels like the joys of sleeping has been lost.

… He doesn’t feel like waking up in the antagonist’s embrace again. Should he consider staying up overnight instead?

Though it would be prudent to mention that the antagonist sure is talented. He’s got that kind of mysterious ability to land right on the edge of your baseline but never transgressing it.

While Bai Lianhua packs up his store with butterflies in his stomach and prepares to take Yang Chongyin back to the tavern, he pulls him back and says, “taverns are not suitable for long stays. If Bai shidi doesn’t mind I have had people assist me in renting a private residence for a place to stay. The environment cannot be said to be excellent, but it’s not bad.”

“What do you think?”

“Of course, if you still like the tavern more, I’ll stay with you.”

Bai Lianhua “…” No no.

A private residence. That must mean more than one room. He can finally sleep separately from Yang Chongyin.

Though he’s suspicious he never noticed how Yang Chongyin still managed to order his subordinates around despite having spent the whole day with him, but it’s the antagonist. It’s not that strange for him to have such capabilities.

Bai Lianhua doesn’t plan to pretentiously call him out on that with a dignified look and he accepts the offer.

Or if he really continues living in the tavern, he’s afraid he’ll discover he has been made to do something in the night when he wakes up in the morning.

The system holds its head in its hands as it says, “I believe with Yang Chongyin’s personality, that probably wouldn’t happen?”

Would he be willing to dirty that piece of white moonlight on his mind himself?

“I think so too… But what I’m actually afraid is that the antagonist would give me this look as if he’s been bullied when I turn my head to look at him, and then he stares at me in silence.”

That would be quite the bloody development.

The system is speechless, because it is actually able to imagine Yang ‘True●Black Lotus’ Chongyin doing something like that if he really does go insane.

Outside of its inherent absurdity, it really was a good idea too. In fact, it’s practically custom-designed for this soft host that’s unable to toughen himself.

Get an excuse – drunkenness, backlash of training, losing one’s mind, whatever goes as long as it helps the final purpose. Don’t think about it too much… And then, the antagonist would make himself appear really ragged and broken. Then with an expression looking like acceptance and not pursuing responsibility, even if the host knew he was acting his guilt and shame would still have been maximised.

“Emm… Bravo, host.” You’ve even learned to stem what’s yet to occur. It seems the continuous training from antagonist to antagonist has surely been beneficial for you.

——But it feels just the tiniest bit disappointing. Aww.

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