Chapter 73

"Wuhuan, I love you."

"Wuhuan, I love you."

"Wuhuan, I love you."

Song Qingshi cursed his lack of poetic flair and his failure to prepare romantic proposal lines. At this crucial moment of baring his heart, he sounded like a broken record, repeating the same dull words. In another world, one overflowing with information, a clumsy suitor like him would deserve to be rejected a hundred times over by his beloved.

Yue Wuhuan listened to words he had never dared to dream of, and once again, the blissful scenes from the Illusion Gu flickered before his eyes.

The youth had once spoken these words amidst a shower of blossoms, watching him practice his sword.

The youth had once spoken these words in the backyard kitchen, accompanying him as he cooked.

The youth had once spoken these words in mystic realms and demonic lairs, adventuring by his side.

The youth had once lain beneath him, whispering these words endlessly.

Those clear eyes held nothing but his reflection.

Only him…

Who exactly was this youth before him? The reclusive alchemist boy from the deep mountains? Or the Medicine King Immortal from Medicine King Valley?

They were all Song Qingshi—the one he loved…

Illusion and reality blurred, indistinguishable, swirling endlessly in his mind. The Emotion Lock gradually loosened, no longer restraining this sweet intoxication. He yearned to drown in this moment, to preserve this beautiful feeling forever.

But Song Qingshi held his waist tightly, preventing him from sinking, from dying…

Yue Wuhuan’s breathing grew ragged. He pressed his hands tightly over his face, as those sweet words cut through him like blades, laying his heart bare and exposing the madness and obsession within, leaving him unable to hide his true nature any longer.

Song Qingshi persisted: "Wuhuan, I love you."

Yue Wuhuan’s laughter seeped through his fingers, hollow and strained.

Slowly, he raised his head, staring fixedly at the person before him. He leaned in, stopping just short of his lips, breathlessly murmuring, "Qing Shi, I’m not as good as you think. Everyone says I’m a madman."

Song Qingshi paused his confession and replied, "I know."

"You don’t," Yue Wuhuan’s voice grew increasingly chaotic. "Because even I don’t understand why my emotions are different from others. I want to possess you completely, imprison you in Medicine King Valley, forbid you from contact with the outside world. I want everyone and everything to bend to my will. I want to destroy everything I dislike in this world and reshape it to my liking… Qing Luan says this is wrong. Everyone says I’m wrong. But I don’t feel it. Perhaps I truly am mad. Qing Shi, you cannot pledge yourself as a Dao companion to a madman. I might hurt you without realizing…"

Song Qingshi said calmly, "You’re not mad. You’re just ill."

"Ill?" Yue Wuhuan froze. After a moment of thought, he resisted in panic, "No, I’m not ill. There’s nothing wrong with me. Whether it’s cultivation or handling matters, I do everything perfectly…"

Song Qingshi gently placed his palm over Yue Wuhuan’s chest and said softly, "Wuhuan, your heart is ill."

Yue Wuhuan covered Song Qingshi’s hand with his own and lowered his head. "My heart?"

His heartbeat quickened, his body burned, as if calling out for something.

Song Qingshi looked up. "Does it hurt every day?"

Yue Wuhuan gazed at him for a long time before finally nodding. "It hurts."

Song Qingshi pulled him into an embrace, patting his back as he comforted him gently, "Don’t be afraid. I’ll share your pain."

In this tender embrace, Yue Wuhuan finally let down all his defenses, revealing his vulnerability and agony. He sobbed, "Qing Shi, I’ll submit to treatment diligently. Whether it’s medicine or acupuncture, I’ll be good… Please don’t give up on me, okay?"

The threads he used to maintain his sanity were as fine as spider’s silk, ready to snap at any moment, plunging him into utter ruin.

He needed a new foundation to sustain himself, to keep living.

Song Qingshi answered without hesitation, "I will never give up on you."

Yue Wuhuan whispered, "What must I do?"

"The treatment will require many attempts. There may be failures, pain, despair…" Song Qingshi cupped his face, gazing into his eyes as he pleaded with all his might, "No matter what happens, please don’t give up, okay? As long as you persist, even in the direst circumstances, luck will come."

Yue Wuhuan asked, "Luck?"

Once again, he thought of the Blood King Vine, of the fortunate encounter at Indestructible Peak.

Song Qingshi sensed something and knew he couldn’t say more.

He trusted Yue Wuhuan’s intelligence—when the time came, he would understand.

…

Song Qingshi was overjoyed. The one he loved had finally accepted his proposal.

Yue Wuhuan, however, was deeply conflicted afterward. By nature, he was assertive and and felt that he should have been the one to propose. Yet Song Qingshi, though seemingly gentle, was stubborn—especially once he set his mind to something, he would persevere relentlessly until he succeeded. Moreover, Yue Wuhuan sensed that Song Qingshi had some peculiar notions about relationships between men. Testing the waters, he cautiously brought up the people on the Blood King Vine.

Song Qingshi snapped out of his daze, took a moment to catch his breath, and spent a long time trying to make Yue Wuhuan understand the situation.

He knew what danmei was: the dominant one was the "top," the beautiful one was the "bottom," and the top was responsible for pampering the bottom.

In the storybooks of the cultivation world, it was the same—the stronger party would dote on the weaker one.

He, a dignified Nascent Soul Cultivator, was the dominant cultivator! Yue Wuhuan was of peerless beauty, unmatched in all the lands! Besides, Song Qingshi lived simply, had no interest in dressing up, was steady and reliable, and loved taking care of others—clearly, he was the top. Yue Wuhuan, flamboyant and refined, had fragile health that required careful attention—clearly, he was the bottom.

Though some details of their intimate moments deviated from the storybooks—mainly because Song Qingshi couldn't bear Yue Wuhuan's emotional wounds and assumed the yielding position—he still made every effort to pamper Yue Wuhuan and bring him happiness.

Song Qingshi believed he was a good top.

Yue Wuhuan immediately realized where the misunderstanding lay and wanted to correct it. But seeing Song Qingshi covered in marks and looking utterly adorable, he swallowed all his words. After all, he had no reputation to uphold in this regard, and he had already taken full advantage in bed. It was better to preserve the other's pride.

Thus, the two harmoniously established their "top and bottom" relationship.

Yue Wuhuan no longer resisted taking medicine or treatment, obediently complying like the exemplary patient he had been when he first arrived in the valley.

Song Qingshi found treatment much smoother now, experimenting daily with various calming and soporific draughts. He noticed that after Yue Wuhuan vented his desires, his nightmares decreased significantly, and he slept much more soundly. Unable to find medical precedents for this, Song Qingshi categorized it under therapeutic conditioning in psychology.

Anything that helped Yue Wuhuan’s condition, he would do his utmost to achieve—including sharing his bed with him every day.

His attitude toward such matters was entirely matter-of-fact, devoid of any impure thoughts, treating it as a natural necessity.

Influenced by his attitude, Yue Wuhuan’s emotional burdens lessened, and he gradually let go of his inhibitions, abandoning himself more freely.

Song Qingshi felt quite good about it.

Yue Wuhuan helped prepare many cultivation pills and powerful analgesics. Unable to bear Song Qingshi’s daily Golden Core pain, he suggested abandoning this cultivation path ahead of schedule and leaving the rest to him. Having protected Medicine King Valley while Song Qingshi was unconscious before, he was familiar with the procedures—he could oversee pill concoction, seal the valley with toxic mist arrays and mechanisms, and help Song Qingshi focus on cultivation, reforging his Golden Core as soon as possible to transcend this tribulation.

"You can enter closed-door cultivation," Yue Wuhuan urged. "I’ll be fine on my own."

Song Qingshi smiled. "There’s no urgency. There’s still much to handle."

Yue Wuhuan insisted, "Allow me to manage affairs."

"Don’t worry," Song Qingshi thought for a moment and requested, "Wuhuan, could you help me make more toxic puppets? Load them with every usable deadly poison and mechanism—the more lethal, the better. I also want defensive rune arrays, offensive rune arrays, sealing rune arrays… Additionally, I’d like a batch of ordinary Black Death Butterflies, as many as possible. I also want to commission a new spell robe from Tiangong Pavilion—cost doesn’t matter, just the best, to compensate for my weakness in close combat."

Yue Wuhuan hesitated slightly.

Song Qingshi quickly explained, "I don’t want to be bullied."

Although his cultivation had already fallen to the early Nascent Soul stage, power in the cultivation realm isn’t just about rank. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be better for everyone to just display their cultivation levels and let the higher one win without fighting? He had ventured out during his Foundation Establishment days and encountered countless dangers. If he had relied solely on cultivation level to survive, he would have died a hundred times over.

He was a rogue cultivator, unbound by conventions, learning obscure arts, deadly poisons, and rune arrays—learning and employing everything…

He had thoroughly studied every deadly poison in *Nie’s Poison Classic* and mastered every mechanism and rune array.

Who developed the poison puppets? Who designed the poison mist arrays?

Armed to the teeth, who could dare bully him?

Yue Wuhuan thought for a moment and understood. "The Jade Sea Tower recently sold a Spirit Veil Moonlight Robe, a rare top-tier item. I’ll spare no expense to acquire it and have it modified at Tiangong Pavilion. If there are other suitable artifacts, I’ll procure them for you as well. I’ll also have Night Rain Pavilion deliver a batch of unclaimed corpses to craft into poison puppets. The rune arrays can be rush-ordered from the Crimson Dragon Sect. Immortal Lord Yan Yuan owes the Medicine King Valley a favor—he should repay it with some of his best skills, right? As for the Black Death Butterflies, I have plenty in stock. I’ll give them to you later."

Song Qingshi was extremely satisfied.

He patted his chest and promised, "I’ll refine the new Black Death Butterflies and give them to you as an engagement gift!"

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a moment before uneasily taking out the Phoenix Blood necklace. The soul-marking array on it had long been completed. He had originally planned to secretly fasten it around Song Qingshi’s neck, binding him to himself for eternity. Now, acknowledging his psychological issues, he suspected this was a twisted impulse and had hesitated to proceed.

He decided to ask Song Qingshi’s opinion: "Phoenix Blood aids cultivation. I wanted to give it to you as a gift. The gem has a soul mark—I’m not sure if it’s appropriate. If it’s unsuitable, I’ll remove it and change it to…"

Yue Wuhuan reluctantly trailed off. He didn’t want to make any changes.

The Blood King Vine coiled around Song Qingshi’s foot, swaying gently.

He was a little afraid… If he didn’t keep Song Qingshi bound properly and keep him close, his happiness would vanish.

He didn’t want just this lifetime either. He wanted Song Qingshi’s next life, and the one after, and every life thereafter to belong to him. Then, they could be together purely—no madness, no pain, just cherishing and loving each other, just like in the illusion, without any complications.

As long as the Phoenix Blood remained intact, he could use the soul mark to find him.

"The craftsmanship is quite intricate and must have used many precious materials. A masterpiece," Song Qingshi admired the array for a while before happily putting it on and tucking it into his robes. "Thank you, I love it."

Yue Wuhuan sighed in relief—this wasn’t pathological after all.

He felt a little regretful. The Phoenix Blood had originally been given to him by Song Qingshi, so using it as an engagement gift lacked sincerity. He was annoyed at himself for focusing solely on herbs during those ten years, neglecting beautiful things. The gems he had collected paled in comparison to the Phoenix Blood and weren’t worthy of gifting.

The Medicine King Valley’s wealth belonged to Song Qingshi; he was merely managing it. Using it to buy gifts felt inappropriate…

The more Yue Wuhuan thought about it, the more tangled his thoughts became.

Understanding his feelings, Song Qingshi smiled and suggested, "Aren’t you almost done breeding those special mice? I like those."

Yue Wuhuan hesitated. "You want小白 (Xiao Bai, the white mice) as an engagement gift?"

Song Qingshi was overjoyed. "Yes!"

Yue Wuhuan’s ears turned slightly red as he lowered his head. "I’ll raise them carefully. Once I’ve bred the special mice… shall we become Dao companions?"

Song Qingshi laughed. "Of course!"