CHAPTER 42 I haven’t forgotten the words I’ve said to you.

Just as Fu Changling got this idea, he heard Tanxin knock on the entrance from outside. He shuddered in fright and immediately discarded that thought. Taking a deep breath, he rigidly stared at Qin Yan’s belt, untied it without fooling around, and nimbly cleaned the wound with fresh water, trembling throughout. He gritted his teeth while sprinkling medicinal powder on his body, then he firmly tied up the bandage, pulled the clothes together, withdrew, and fled to the corner.

After he hid in the corner, his heart was still palpitating like before, and that person’s delicate skin was still in front of his eyes. Fu Changling sat down cross-legged. Fanning himself with a small fan, he glanced left and right, wanting to reduce the temperature on his face a little, and calm down this feeling in his body.

At this moment, he finally realised that he was still an impetuous youth.

Outside, Tanxin was still banging at the door, cursing in a child-like voice. “Fu Changling! Fu Changling open the door! The cold pool cave is my home! Did I let you install a door only so you could shut me out?! Open up! I’m ordering you to open up the door! Are you doing something sketchy inside? What are you going to do to that beautiful little cultivator in a coma?! You animal!”

Fu Changling listened as his scoldings became more and more outrageous. Thinking that there were still a hundred ghosts outside who’d love to go where the crowds are, he hurriedly opened the door, grabbed Tanxin’s collar, and pulled him in.

Tanxin waved his small fists in the air, spitting anger. “How dare you shut me out! How dare you actually shut me out! You ungrateful bastard!”

Fu Changling closed the door with his foot, carried Tanxin back to his den, swatted his head, and said, “Following after Zhang-Er, instead of learning good examples you’ve learned all his bad habits like cussing”

Being hit in such a manner, Tanxin clutched his head, feeling like he was wronged. “You’re bullying me. You have a new friend so you forgot the old ones, and you’ve even started hitting me after your new love is here.”

“What sort of nonsense have you been learning?”

Fu Changling was disgusted and in agony. He felt he shouldn’t let Tanxin hang around with ghosts like Zhang-Er anymore.

He led Tanxin back to the small bed. Tanxin glanced at him, then at Qin Yan in the distance, and rather stunned he said, “You’re not going to sleep in your bed, so does it mean you want to squeeze in with me? ”

“And what’s wrong with squeezing in?”

Fu Changling lied down on the bed sideways, speaking with dissatisfaction. “I made this bed for you.”

“Your bed is so much bigger.”

Tanxin scrambled down the bed. “If you don’t go to sleep, I will.”

“Come back!”

Fu Changling grabbed Tanxin and dragged him back. “No one is allowed to sleep there. Both of us are going to squeeze in and that’s final.”

“I won’t squeeze in with you. This is my bed!”

Tanxin struggled indignantly. The noise was giving Fu Changling a headache. He pressed his head and said, “Alright. Alright. Go to sleep.”

Tanxin was overpowered. Fu Changling got up to blow out the lamp, then came back and fell asleep on Tanxin’s small bed.

Tanxin’s bed was unmistakably small, built just for a child. Fu Changling was born tall and broad. He had grown a lot in these eight years and it felt difficult for his entire person to lie down on his side of the bed.

After discontentedly protesting for a while, Tanxin also felt weary and slowly fell asleep. Only Fu Changling was still lying down, completely unable to fall asleep.

In the deep, dark night, he could smell Qin Yan’s scent and feel his breaths.

This made him sink into a state of thoughtfulness and frustration.

He felt somewhat illusive because eight years was a very long time. It was hard to believe everything at present was real.

He couldn’t fall asleep so he listened to the faint sound of Tanxin’s snores. After spending a long time pondering, he stood up and walked over to Qin Yan’s bedside in a daze.

In the dim light of the night, he looked at Qin Yan’s appearance. Qin Yan’s brows were tightly creased as if mired in an awfully deep state of anxiety, completely unlike his usual placidness. Fu Changling stood there draped in a changshan, quietly gazing at this person.

Perhaps, being obscured by the night scene gave him an ineffable sense of security which made him faintly stoop and draw closer to Qin Yan with a rare kind of composed attitude.

His moods often bounced between extremes when he was close to him; he was either exceedingly happy or exceedingly sad. Rarely was his state of mind like this - as tranquil as water, without the least bit of undulations.

His hair fell on Qin Yan’s face. After quietly watching for a moment, he couldn’t help reaching out and gently touching his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, his soft lips, and then involuntarily extending his hand to slide onto that red earring on his ear.

He didn’t have any spiritual energy so he was incapable of detecting the traces of the spiritual power on the earring, but he could approximately distinguish from the quality of the material that the earring was made from the demon stone of the Demon Clan.

He caressed the earring and inadvertently streaked across that person’s plump earlobe. He sat by the bedside and caressed it for a while. Not knowing what sort of emotion he was feeling in his heart, he simply kept reflecting on himself, over and over again.

Qin Yan would never have gotten such an earring for himself. It must have been gifted by someone else. These eight years, what has this person been through? What sort of people had he encountered? Has he ever thought of him? Had there been those nights without anyone, where he had remembered that in this world, there is a man called Fu Changling who was still waiting for him?

Did he meet someone he liked? Did he get married? Or even if he goes so far as to speed up things, wouldn’t there already be a child?

This thought made Fu Changling feel rather ridiculous. He couldn’t help but laugh yet also feel an indistinct fear. He turned his head to look at the person who was still asleep. That person seemed to have sensed something and slowly opened his eyes in a haze. Fu Changling’s movements hitched. His hand was still on his earlobe. Fu Changling felt that pulling back would be wrong, but so would be not pulling back. Fortunately, the man just looked at him blankly. After a long time, he spoke in a hoarse voice. “I’m sorry…”

After speaking, he slowly closed his eyes again, still repeating, “I’m sorry…”

Listening to this sorry, Fu Changling’s heart slowly calmed down and a faint joy leaped up. He softly smiled in the night, leaned on the bed, and lay down beside Qin Yan.

He quietly gazed at Qin Yan and whispered, “Forget it, I forgive you.”

Qin Yan was unconscious. He mulled over it and felt that he was still at a disadvantage. So, he shifted again, moved closer, and took the person into his embrace.

As soon as this man was in his arms, Fu Changling suddenly did not feel particularly sad anymore. He embraced the man and indulged in the moment for a little while.

In fact, he already clearly knew that this person was not the same Qin Yan from the previous life.

When he recalled Qin Yan from his previous life, he just felt that even though that person never quite said anything, he could still somehow be able to provide him with a sense of reassurance.

The essence of that reassurance, in reality, was something one would feel when they were being treated as someone incredibly important in someone else’s heart.

The look in his eyes and his every action, all of it invariably told him his feelings for him in silent stories. However, due to their relationship back then, he had failed to notice it. When he thought back in retrospection, the sentiments were ubiquitous.

Qin Yan now, but he didn’t quite know why, even in the face of a Qin Yan who doesn’t love him, Fu Changling still couldn’t help but want to embrace him and get closer to him.

He originally thought that maybe he had fallen in love with Qin Yan because he was too good to him. However, now, these eight years had woke him up to the fact that the Qin Yan in this life was not the same one from the last. Qin Yan did not have any feelings for him; all that Fu Changling felt right now were simply manifestations of his own wishful thinking. But even so, he found that now, when faced before Qin Yan, he still wanted to get closer to him.

He let out a deep sigh into the night, lowered his head, moved closer to cover the side of Qin Yan’s ear, and whispered, “If you truly feel that you have wronged me, how about giving yourself to me for compensation?”

He felt happy after he finished speaking, and he also knew that this person couldn’t hear him. After saying that, he felt as if he had taken advantage of the other. Holding Qin Yan in his arms, all his anger dissipated.

After sleeping till dawn, Fu Changling felt the person in his arms move a little. He opened his eyes and saw Qin Yan staring at him coldly.

As soon as Fu Changling saw that he was still holding him, he felt bad. He reluctantly smiled, and hurriedly let go. “About that...uh...it was cold last night.”

Qin Yan didn’t speak. Fu Changling coughed lightly. He pretended to be unperturbed and stood up. After that, he walked to the side and used a basin to fetch water.

Qin Yan propped himself to sit up. He swept a glance at his surroundings and his eyes fell on the thousands of horizontal lines on the wall. His gaze paused as if recalling something. He withdrew his gaze after a moment and helped himself to his feet.

Although Fu Changling turned his back to him, he secretly glanced at him from time to time. Seeing Qin Yan getting up, Fu Changling knew what he was going to do and said straightforwardly, “Sit down, I’ll boil the water for you. The stream is too cold and you’re still injured. It’s not good for you to be stung by the cold.”

“I’m fine.” Qin Yan whispered. Fu Changling chuckled. “The most important thing is to recover soon, don’t argue with me.”

Qin Yan paused after listening to Fu Changling’s last sentence. In the end, he still sat back down and spoke quietly. “I’m really fine.”

Fu Changling continued to boil water on the stove with his back turned to him. After a long time and Qin Yan hasn’t spoken again, he felt a little miffed for no reason, and coldly said, “You’ve got nothing to tell me?”

“Is there something I can help with?”

This was clearly not what Fu Changling wanted to hear. He sighed a long sigh. “Never mind. Is there anything else you can do except killing people?”

With that Fu Changling poured the warm water into a basin then carried it and walked towards Qin Yan. Qin Yan stood up, wanting to help but Fu Changling immediately said, “Sit still. Don’t move.”

Fu Changling thought the tone of his words was off. His heart trembled thinking that Qin Yan would raise his sword and strike at him. Yet, that man was sitting there motionless, without speaking a word.

Fu Changling sucked up some courage. He walked over to Qin Yan’s side and put down the basin, rinsed the handkerchief, raised his hand, and wiped Qin Yan’s face.

Qin Yan remained motionless as he was about to wipe him clean. Looking at Qin Yan being still like this and playing along, Fu Changling felt somewhat delightful for no reason. At first, he was just going to wipe his face but then he started wiping Qin Yan’s hand; one finger after another, and then one after another all over again. Finally, he held the kerchief, wanting to wipe Qin Yan’s neck. In the end, Qin Yan raised his hand to stop him, looking up with frosty eyes. “Fooled around enough?”

Fu Changling snorted coldly. He stood up, threw the kerchief into the water, then twirled a blade of grass and held it in his mouth, leaning to one side and no longer paying attention to him.

Qin Yan helped himself up, inquiring as he washed his face and rinsed his mouth. “What about Shijie and the others?”

“Don’t know.”

Hearing him ask about Xie Yuqing as soon as he woke up, Fu Changling couldn’t help but get angry.

Rescuing Xie Yuqing, Yun Yu, and Shangguan Mingyan was a matter of great urgency, yet rescuing him could be leisurely dragged on for eight years.

Unable to bear the thought of it, he blurted out. “It doesn’t matter what they’re doing, why don’t you want another eight years to save them?”

Qin Yan paused as he listened to these words. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something; almost on the verge of speaking what was on his mind. Yet, in the end, he merely asked, “How’s your golden core now?”

“Can’t you see?” Fu Changling turned his head and indifferently said, “It’s no more.”

“First, let’s find Shijie and the others. I’ll ask them to take you back. You first go back and recuperate properly. ”

“I go back?” Fu Changling raised his eyes to look at him. “Then what about you? What are you going to do?”

Qin Yan hesitated for a moment as if considering whether or not he should speak. Fu Changling walked towards him and leisurely spoke. “Come on, let me take a guess. Doesn’t the Avici have one of its energy pulse seals located in the TenThousand Bones Cliff? Do you intend to use the seal scroll your Shifu gave you to go and reinforce it?”

Fu Changling stretched out half of his head from behind him and spoke with a genial smile. “If you hadn’t come here to reinforce this seal, would you have remembered me at all?”

Listening to his words, Qin Yan seemed to have realized something. He used a foolish expression to glance at Fu Changling, then turned around to walk towards the side of the entrance to maneuver his sword, and said, “Let’s go look for Shijie and the others.”

“If you want to go look for them, then go. I won’t go with you.” Fu Changling turned his body, crossed his hands over his chest, leaned on the stone wall, and drawled out. “You guys did not even come to look for me for eight years. What reason do I have to save you? There are numerous dangers below this Ten Thousand Bones Cliff. I will definitely not go with you and risk my life. Now, you can either remain in my company or go by yourself. Let me give you some advice, hmm? Right now, you’re still seriously injured, and going out would be the same as courting death. If thought from the angle of rationality, no matter what, if you have a Ghost Lord like me…”

Fu Changling hadn’t finished speaking when he heard Qin Yan push the entrance and walk out. Startled, Fu Changling immediately hurried to catch up with him and exasperatedly said, “Qin Yan are you out of your mind?! You’re going out to look for death!

Fu Changling took three steps and another two steps to overtake Qin Yan and grabbed him to firmly stop him.

The menacing wind whizzed past in the valley. Fu Changling subconsciously raised his sleeve in front of Qin Yan to block that menacing wind.

At this moment when they were standing face to face, Fu Changling suddenly came to a realisation that over so many years Qin Yan seemed to have not grown taller at all, and unexpectedly for some reason, he grew much taller than Qin Yan. Becoming aware of this bit, he couldn’t help but be somewhat befuddled; even forgetting about what had happened earlier, he instinctively asked, “Why haven’t you grown at all?”

Qin Yan glanced at him indifferently, only saying, “You were always comparatively tall.”

Fu Changling couldn’t remember what their heights were eight years ago. He only remembers that in his previous life he was indeed half a head taller than Qin Yan.

At this thought, he was merry again for no reason, feeling that he had gained some sort of advantage. However, he immediately counter reflected that right now he and Qin Yan were in a cold war, and he had to get back his justice that had been thrown away for eight years, so he spoke with a straight face. “It’s dangerous outside. Yesterday I had asked the ghost beneath me to lead the way for Shijie and the others. You go back to rest first. I’ll find their whereabouts for you."

“Do you no longer want anything back in return?”

Fu Changling felt choked with emotions at Qin Yan’s cold response. He was somewhat infuriated for a moment but didn’t know what to do. This person was too unyielding. He couldn’t actually let this injured person walk around arbitrarily but in the end, he felt somewhat wronged in his heart. This person’s uncaring and unremorseful attitude made his tooth itch with hate. He struggled desperately; this helpless feeling he felt about Qin Yan annoyed him. Qin Yan simply waited as he struggled, giving him a complacent and aloof look as if he was waiting to see what he would say.

That look provoked Fu Changling who felt like he had never suffered this sort of injustice in his entire life. All of a sudden, he swiftly moved out his hands to hold up Qin Yan’s face, then lowered his head and kissed him.

Qin Yan was stunned for a moment; then immediately took out his sword. Although he pulled out his sword quickly, Fu Changling’s dodging was quicker. Retreating a few steps back, he conveniently went up a cliff and pulled out a dead twig. Then he beamed at Qin Yan who was holding his sword tightly and said, “Alright, I’ll accept this as my reward. Go back and have a rest. I’ll ask around for you.”

With that, Fu Changling fled like he was rushing out. Qin Yan watched him rush out and only after a long time did he withdraw his sword. Then he expressionlessly extended his hand to firmly wipe his face twice and turned to go back into the cave.

Only after he had fled far enough did Fu Changling finally slow down. He raised his hand and pressed it to his chest, thinking that he had been too bold. He will certainly shut himself up for the next eight years for this stupidity. How dare he do something like this?

If Qin Yan drives him out of the Heavenly Palace of Hongmeng in rage...

Forget it, he was already equivalent to being kicked out anyway.

Fu Changling was of the opinion that he should have the guts to smash the pot if it’s already cracked. He shook his head, stood up, and let out a sigh of relief before walking out.

He didn’t know when Tanxin had followed him and floated over to his side. Fu Changling turned around and asked in surprise. “How did you catch up?”

“You kissed him just now.”

Tanxin’s eyes held some disdain. Fu Changling’s face flushed red at once as he stuttered out. “That...wasn’t that just a...joke?”

“Didn’t you say you just want to go back to repay a kindness? Is there anyone who would want to kiss their benefactor?” Tanxin grimaced. “ Liar.”

Hearing this, Fu Changling became anxious. He raised his hand to swat Tanxin and hurriedly spoke. “What nonsense are you talking about?”

Tanxin flitted about mid-air, ridiculing Fu Changling as he laughed mischievously while making faces. “You like him. You surely do like him! Mwahahaha.”

Fu Changling snorted coldly and simply ignored him but felt somewhat regretful after. He had been too lonely these years and spoke too much with Tanxin.

He wondered if ...Tanxin would tell Qin Yan?

Thinking of this possibility Fu Changling decided that he’ll have to hide Tanxin and couldn’t let them get along alone.

Fu Changling walked forward for a while, then walked out of the bluestone trail, and came to a flat ground. He raised his hand to pull at a ghost and casually asked, “Where’s Zhang-Er?”

“Brother Zhang is hiding at the White Jade city entrance.”

“Hiding?”

Fu Changling frowned. “What did he go to the White Jade city for? Ask him to come back.”

The little ghost received his order and floated out without any delay to look for Zhang-Er. Not long after Zhang-Er followed back with a sullen face, trembling all the while as he returned. Fu Changling had a bad hunch. “Where are the people?”

“Last night...Last night,” Zhang-Er swallowed. “I lost them.”

“Lost them?”

Fu Changling was astonished. “Didn’t I ask you all to lead them away? All three of them are lost?!”

“Big Brother, please listen to me first,” Zhang-Er hastily spoke. “It’s not that we didn’t try our best. Last night, I was originally taking them all back but the Ghost King found us halfway.”

“Xie Shen?”

Fu Changling subconsciously uttered. All the ghosts immediately widened their eyes and Zhang-Er hurriedly said, “Big Brother, don’t mention that name. You must not mention that name!”

Fu Changling’s heart sank.

As the Ghost King of the White Jade city, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Xie Shen was the lord of the Ten Thousand Bones Cliff. He didn’t know much about Xie Shen’s actual strength, but even mere garrisons of White Jade city were all either at the nascent soul stage or higher. Xie Shen controls the entire White Jade city by himself and naturally, he cannot be underestimated.

Ordinarily, Xie Shen seldom came out but now unexpectedly, he was compelled to personally take care of the few outsiders who fell in?

“Do you know why the Ghost King had to take things into his hands?”

Fu Changling stroked the jade pendant on his waist. This had become one of his subconscious actions. Zhang-Er shook his head but quickly said, “But you don’t have to worry. I went to take a stroll at the White Jade city entrance today and heard that those three people who were arrested are enjoying delicious food and drinks at the White Jade city, like highly-valued honored guests.”

“Honored guests?”

Fu Changling found this to be even odder. “Does the White Jade city have some strange sacrificial rituals? Why are they the honored guests?”

“I don’t know.” Zhang-Er shook his head. Another little ghost spoke. “However, there is a rumor.”

“What rumor?”

Fu Changling looked over and that little ghost seriously said, “I heard that the Ghost King intends to take that woman. The really beautiful one. That…”

“Xie Yuqing?”

“Yes, it's Xie Yuqing. He intends to confer her the title of a Princess. Everyone is guessing that this Xie Yuqing might be the long-lost daughter of the Ghost King.”

“The Ghost King has a daughter?”

Fu Changling was even more baffled. He turned around to look at Zhang-Er. “How many years have you people been dead?”

“Six thousand years!”

Zhang-Er tried to ingratiate. “Haven’t I told you before? We’re all a village.” Zhang-Er turned his head to look at the group, then turned around and said, “Everyone here died together six thousand years ago.”

Fu Changling fell silent. He had once asked Zhang-Er the cause of these people’s death, but none of them remembered it. They only remember that six thousand years ago, they all suddenly died and then turned into ferocious ghosts.

Fu Changling was in deep thought. Zhang-Er very cautiously said, “Big brother, don’t worry. They are fine now. I heard that woman was injured last night and all the ghost doctors in the White Jade city were summoned. Soon everything will be fine for sure. How about you go back to the big brother you saved and brought back to discuss how to deal with this situation?”

“En.”

Fu Changling nodded. He thought for a while then said, “You guys go and try to gather as much information as possible.”

After Zhang-Er agreed, Fu Changling gave it a serious thought and returned to the Cold Pool cave at a fast pace.

When he returned, Qin Yan was sitting on the bed and meditating. His bed was made of warm jade to begin with, and lying on top of it could heal wounds. It was a relic. Right now, Qin Yan was sitting on it. Fu Changling’s quilt had been neatly folded and put aside, and the entire bed had been tidily organized. He sat cross-legged with his hands placed on both his knees in a lotus flower seat, his hair was scattered behind him like black silk with the hem of his clothes cascading down on both sides, looking so upright and solemn that it made people afraid to come any closer.

But he was sitting on Fu Changling’s bed. Realising this, Fu Changling felt itchy in his heart. He retreated his gaze and lightly coughed. Qin Yan opened his eyes, indifferently asking. “How is it?”

“They were captured and taken by the Ghost King to the White Jade city.” Fu Changling lowered his head and fumbled with the tea set placed on the table to his side, secretly looking at Qin Yan next to him. “But I heard that the Ghost King is now treating them as honored guests and serving them well. Seems like Xie Shijie was injured and all the ghost doctors of the city went over to tend to her. I was thinking that since you’re injured right now, you should first recuperate. I will ask others to pry for some concrete information and then we can plan again. What do you think?”

“Okay.”

Qin Yan nodded his head. Fu Changling didn’t find anything unusual in his tone. He turned around and asked somewhat surprised. “Well...aren’t you mad about what happened this morning?”

Qin Yan looked like he thought of this question as silly as he sat by himself and ignored him.

Fu Changling summoned up his courage and slowly approached him. As he looked at Qin Yan’s appearance, he also thought of himself as impulsive. As a matter of fact, Qin Yan was not an ungrateful person. From the number of times he apologized yesterday, he probably did care about him. Perhaps...there was some other reason as to why he didn’t come for eight years?”

Fu Changling mulled over it in his heart. He sat cross-legged next to Qin Yan, looked at him, and lightly coughed again. “Um...Shixiong, today morning I was...a little angry. I’ve been waiting down here for too long and couldn’t help my imagination from running wild and feeling like you forgot about me. I...In any case, I’m still your Shidi...right? Not the most important but, probably a little bit important. You asked me to wait for you and I’ve always been waiting for you...but eight years is too long. You only came to find me now,” Fu Changling cautiously asked, “Why so?”

Hearing this Qin Yan slowly opened his eyes.

He raised his eyes to look at those scratches side by side on the wall. After a long time, he said, “The seal of the Hidden Realm of Xuanji is already sealed. The demonic cultivators are hiding in the dark, ready to instigate chaos at any moment. There is no way I would come to reinforce the seal only after eight years.”

Fu Changling was stunned by these words. Qin Yan looked up at him, with a pair of clear and bright eyes that seemed to understand everything. His eyes reflected Fu Changling’s shadow and he earnestly said, “I haven’t forgotten the words I’ve said to you.”

Author’s note:

(covering face) Actually, I think the relationship between these two is...too sweet [I’m probably broken]

[Today’s theater]

Fu Changling: I’m always sweet!