Chapter Sixty Six Lifetimes

Deep into the night.

The faint sound of grasshoppers could be heard from outside. Eyes closed, Yang Lianting was about to fall asleep when he felt Dongfang Bubai beside him move. His eyelids slightly opened. Noticing that he had sat up, Yang Lianting habitually wanted to reach out, embrace Dongfang Bubai into his arms, and ask him what had happened.

Before he could fully open his eyes, he heard a sigh.

It was quiet within the inner chamber, only the faint crackling sound of burning candle wicks could be heard. Yang Lianting’s heart skipped a beat but he still did not fully open his eyelids. He felt Dongfang Bubai lean over, the ends of his fine hair sweeping over his face, lightly itching. He heard Dongfang Bubai laugh.

In a low voice, as if talking to himself, he heard him whisper, “In my past life, I did not regret. In this life, why would I care?”

Past Life.

Instantly, Yang Lianting only felt that his heart was about to stop beating. He forced himself to take a deep breath, both of his hands were trembling uncontrollably. Forcing his eyes open, he looked deeply into Dongfang Bubai’s black eyes.

Yang Lianting’s eyes were red and his throat dry.

“Dongfang, say… please say that again…” Blood rushed into his head, his breathing stagnated and his throat felt terribly dry. The heart in his chest beat violently. Grabbing hold of Dongfang Bubai’s hand, Yang Lianting pulled him closer. Eyes sore, voice hoarse, he vehemently insisted, “Dongfang, please say that again for me…”

Dongfang Bubai never expected Yang Lianting to be awake. Stunned still, his eyes widened in an instant, he habitually turned his face away to doge his gaze and wanted to sit up to get out of bed, but he hesitated.

Before he could flee, Yang Lianting caught his hands, turned over and directly pressed Dongfang Bubai on the bed. Lowered his head and fiercely kissed him. Wanting to rub this person into his bones and blood. Unable to rest assured, unwilling to let go. A deep kiss, a lingering tenderness.

Ending the kiss, Yang Lianting took a deep breath to try and calm himself. His eyes were red, yet he smiled wryly as he gazed into Dongfang Bubai’s eyes.

“You remember, don’t you?”

Silence at first.

Dongfang Bubai raised his head and looked at Yang Lianting. His eyes were filled with glistening tears, a clear and faint smile upon his lips. Seeing the Dongfang Bubai from a lifetime ago, Yang Lianting fell into a daze.

Yang Lianting heard Dongfang Bubai softly call his name.

“Lian di.”

In this life, Yang Lianting had rarely heard Dongfang Bubai call him in such a complex tone, filled with all the pain and joy, filled with all the gratitude and grievances, filled with the tender love of an entire lifetime.

Two short forbearing words.

Gently spoken, as though passing through the few decades of their past life into their present life.

Time flowing like water.

Yang Lianting went crazy in an instant. He opened his mouth to laugh, but his muscles were too stiff. He could not restrain his hands from shaking, could not think clearly.

In the middle of pitch-black nights, he had thought countless, countless times, If Dongfang regains his memories from our past life, what should I do?

In the end, he could not bear to let go.

Dongfang Bubai’s past life was too painful, too sorrowful. He had treated him so badly and their ending had been so tragic. In this life, he was still the prideful and arrogant Invincible East. Yang Lianting did not expect him to remember.

He laughed out loud.

Yang Lianting laughed so much that tears fell down from his red eyes. Taking a deep breath, he tightly hugged Dongfang and put his forehead against his forehead.

“I’m sorry. Dongfang, I’m sorry.”

Yang Lianting kept apologizing and apologizing, embracing Dongfang Bubai tighter and tighter. Afraid that if he were to lose this person again, he would go mad.

“Dongfang–”

“I’m sorry, Dongfang, I–”

Yang Lianting took a deep breath. Tears flowed down his wet cheeks, but he looked at the person in front of him and grinned.

“I missed you.”

Dongfang Bubai’s eyes were red as well.

Desperately shaking his head, he said, “Don’t apologize, I–”

Dongfang Bubai tilted his head and gently pressed a kiss on Yang Lianting’s lips. His pair of glistening eyes, his soft smile, were so beautiful they could ruin the country.

“Lian di, you don’t know how happy I am.”

“I’m glad I remembered.”

“I remember you, remember all the things that happened to us in our past life. I’m glad–”

“Don’t apologize. How can my Lian di apologize to me…”

Dongfang Bubai’s tears flowed down his cheeks, yet his eyes were smiling, were mesmerizingly beautiful.

“I’m glad to have died together with you.”

“In this life, you treat me so well, love me so dearly…”

“I have nothing to be dissatisfied with. Even if I die, I’ll have no regrets.”

“You cannot say die!” Yang Lianting held Dongfang Bubai’s hand. Lightly exhaling, he could not avoid shaking his head and chuckling, “God really treats me, Yang Lianting, well.”

“When did you remember?”

“After the Wulin General Assembly.”

“Back then because you remembered the events from the past you weren’t in the right mood. Dongfang I–” He suddenly halted mid-sentence and stayed silent for a long time.

Guilt and rue flooding his eyes he held onto Dongfang’s hand then raised it to his lips and kissed the back of his hand. His voice sounded slightly hoarse, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. In our past life, I was too shameless, too outrageous… I wronged you.”

Dongfang Bubai pursed his lips and smiled at Yang Lianting. “I fear my fate isn’t good, by forcing you to be together with me again your life may not come to a good end…”

“Lian di, I… you must know, I’ve never regretted loving you. Regardless of our past, present, or future lifetime as long as our path’s cross–”

“Regardless of my, Dongfang Bubai’s nature, I will certainly fall in love with you.”

“I just fear… fear that I will implicate you, hurt you again. In the past because I was too arrogant Ren Woxing, that despicable old thief, could gain the upper hand so that you–”

“He’s dead!”

Yang Linting interrupted him, took a deep breath, and smiled at Dongfang Bubai. He calmly said, word for word, “Dongfang, Ren Woxing is dead, Ren Yingying is also dead.”

“In this life, no one can hurt us.”

Tightly embracing each other, separation unbearable.

The both of them, after lifetimes of setbacks and frustrations, were finally able to reach out, to open up their hearts, and to love each other wholeheartedly.

That night, in a tight embrace they spoke many, many words.

Yang Lianting told him how, in their past life, he had gone to great lengths to become Dongfang’s personal guard and why he had been hesitant and afraid to approach Dongfang again, he told him how they ended up torturing each other and had been unable to speak clearly until death.

He said he had loved him.

In his previous life, when he had looked up to him from afar, he had been too muddled, too hesitant to admit that he had fallen in love. He had thought that two men in love with each other was abnormal, thought that Dongfang Bubai, a mighty immortal who was banished to the mortal realm, should not have gone through the torture of castrating himself.

Yang Lianting had felt unworthy of Dongfang Bubai and had simultaneously been madly eager for power, yet once Dongfang Bubai placed absolute authority into his hands, he feared facing him even more. Cowering and hesitating, he let an entire lifetime slip by. Eyes red, he apologized to Dongfang Bubai in tears.

Dongfang just smilingly shook his head.

Receiving Yang Lianting’s true heart and endless love in this life, compensated for all the pain and sorrow in his past life.

The night was long.

The both of them had a long journey ahead.

The next day, the whole town erupted in excitement.

The liquor shop owner was accompanied by an immortal, so beautiful he could topple the dynasty, and introduced him as his beloved spouse. They were simple countryside folk who did not leave their village and they had never seen such a good-looking person before, let alone a man.

Wearing vibrant red and intricate moiré, with a pointed chin and skin as pale as winter snow, he smilingly stood beside Shop Owner Yang.

A man and a man, how can they be together?

The villagers’ thoughts were in disarray yet they had to admit that the two men standing together were too good-looking. Like a match made in heaven, so good-looking people could not bear to say words of dissent.

Shop Owner Yang announced that his shop would stop doing business from today onward. As soon as he spoke, the alcoholics who had been coming to the shop daily made a racket. The shop owner smiled and opened the door with a wave of his hand, then said that all wine stocked inside would be given away for free in consideration of their acquaintance.

Once both of them were about to leave the rural village, many residents came to see them off.

“Uncle Yang, the person you like is very handsome.” Having walked to the town’s entrance, the six-year-old little Hutuo, who often chatted with Yang Lianting, could not resist poking out his head from behind his mother and say, “Like an immortal.”

Yang Lianting gently glanced at Dongfang Bubai and looked at little Hutuo and nodded, “Yes, he’s an immortal, an immortal who’s been together with me in my past life and has returned to look for me in this life.”

Little Hutuo was stunned still and shyly asked, “Uncle Yang, where are you going with Big Brother Immortal?”

“Go wherever he wants to go.” Yang Lianting lifted his hand and closed Dongfang Bubai’s loose collar, took his hand into his own and entwined their fingers. “In this lifetime, I’ll accompany you wherever you want to go.”

One black and one red, two figures side by side.

The sky and the earth were vast, home was where he was.

—

[1] Luàn lún (乱伦) lit. means incestuous and fig. to defy moral law / to commit fornication.

[2] Lit. shocking the eye, astonishing the heart (触目惊心), fig. shocking or fearsome.

[3] Lit. an arrow at the end of its flight (强弩之末), fig. exhausted strength.

[4] Lit. to throw a stone and see it sink without a trace in the sea (石沉大海), fig. to elicit no response.

[5] Lit. to ferry or to cross a body of water (渡), fig. the Yellow Springs, the realm of the dead.

[6] Fig. till death do you part (至死不渝), lit. until death never changing.

[7] Translator’s note: The sentence may be left unfinished due to censorship of supernatural elements. Note that many words including ‘supernatural’ (怪力乱神) were split apart with / to avoid detection.

[8] Lit. to follow in the tracks of an overturned cart (重蹈覆辙), fig. to repeat the same mistake.

[9] Lit. to attain the Path (得道), fig. to gain enlightenment.

[10] Fig. silver lining (一线生机), lit. one thread of opportunity to reprieve from death.

[11] Lit. to part the clouds and mist (拨开云雾), fig. everything is back to normal after a period of hardship.

[12] A retinue of guards and servants, who shout to clear the way and protect their superior (前呼后拥).

[13] Lit. to anoint one’s head with ghee (醍醐灌顶), fig. to be enlightened. Wikipedia

[14] Lit. mouth to feed (口子), fig. spouse (derogatory).

[15] Lit. to bloom like a chrysanthemum (菊花), fig. to be happy.

[16] In Chinese, third person distinguishes between him (他) and her (她) but they are both pronounced tā.