Chapter 80: Three Lifetimes of Affinity

Chapter 80: Three Lifetimes of Affinity

The two returned to Ping Sha.

An Zhi was still pondering over a few matters and muttered, "Shi Liuli is hiding in Ping Sha? With Hao Chang's appearance, he would likely show up as well. He must be hiding somewhere here… Hiss, but where exactly is he hiding…?"

As he spoke, Ju Lang stealthily approached and wrapped his arms around An Zhi's waist, leaning his face into An Zhi's shoulder and asking softly, "You just said that it's uncertain who'll be on top and who'll be on bottom?"

An Zhi turned his gaze slightly and lowered his head to look at Ju Lang, whose head rested on his neck.

Aside from those phoenix-like eyes, the rest of his features were not particularly striking; his demeanor gave off an unapproachable vibe, yet he hid a devoted and bashful heart within.

If one were to ask where love and desire could be found?

It could be sought between his sword-shaped brows and phoenix-like eyes.

After a moment of deep affection, An Zhi pushed him away gently, "Of course."

Ju Lang straightened his body, flames of desire igniting in his phoenix eyes. He asked in a solemn, low voice, "Shall we try?"

Hearing this, An Zhi lifted his chin resolutely and declared, "Let's try!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ju Lang pulled An Zhi's wrist, drawing him into his embrace. He swiftly turned An Zhi's wrist around, wrapping his arms around his waist while wandering mischievously across the small of his back. Lowering his head slightly, his thin lips inched closer to An Zhi's.

Ju Lang gently brushed his lips against An Zhi's like a dragonfly skimming over water.

An Zhi's eyebrows shot up, his mind suddenly going blank, unsure how to react.

Seeing that An Zhi didn't resist much, Ju Lang gathered the courage to deepen the kiss.

He nibbled affectionately while holding An Zhi's waist tightly, slowly backing toward the bed.

In no time, the two naturally found themselves entangled in the soft bedding, lost in an intimate embrace.

In the chamber, the atmosphere had reached its peak of intimacy.

"An Zhi!" Jian Fengzi's voice suddenly echoed.

An Zhi jolted awake, forcefully pushing Ju Lang away.

Startled, Ju Lang stumbled backward, crashing into a desk.

A crystal white goblet atop the desk swayed and toppled, rolling off and shattering with a clatter into several pieces.

An Zhi's face flushed red as he hastily pulled a blanket to cover himself.

"That was really you!" the voice sounded again.

An Zhi looked toward the entrance of the hall and saw Jian Fengzi rushing towards him in a fluster.

It seemed as if he were fleeing from some terrifying monster. Hiding behind objects as he arrived, Jian Fengzi appeared extremely agitated, stammering, "Turns out the soul I dreamt about during my tenth birthday feast wasn't that female ghost, but a purple-tailed fox spirit! ... He wants to catch me, it's so disgusting, a purple-tailed fox spirit trying to catch me! ... Also, also something about Xiao Zhuwan, Yuwen Fengyao..."

An Zhi was utterly confused. "What does Xiao Zhuwan and Yuwen Fengyao have to do with you?"

Jian Fengzi stomped his foot in frustration. "I don't know either! That purple-tailed fox spirit insisted on making me wear women's clothes and putting a red mole by my eye. Then, he made me recite poetry for him and pretend to be sick!"

Upon hearing this, An Zhi finally noticed – Jian Fengzi was indeed dressed in women's attire, with an additional red mole at the corner of his eye.

He examined Jian Fengzi. "How did I not notice before? You look exactly like Xiao Zhuwan and Yuwen Fengyao in this outfit."

Upon hearing this, Jian Fengzi promptly removed the woman's outer garment and threw it to the ground, stomping on it fiercely. He then rubbed the red mole painted near his eye with great force.

Afterward, he brought his swollen eyes close to An Zhi and asked, "Does it still resemble her now?"

Once a habit was formed, it was hard to break.

With such a close-up view of Jian Fengzi's features, An Zhi nodded even more vigorously. "It does."

"Ai ya!" Frustrated, Jian Fengzi stomped his feet, hopping on the discarded women's clothing.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

"Alright, alright, stop jumping or you'll break through the floor," An Zhi said. "Weren't you and Shi Liuli at Ping Sha all along?"

Jian Fengzi was even more perplexed than An Zhi. "Ping Sha? Oh, I was in the Demon Realm the whole time, I guess." He shook his head. "I didn't know where I was, but I was locked up somewhere by Shi Liuli without ever leaving."

An Zhi was surprised. "Then how did you escape now?"

Jian Fengzi continued to shake his head. "Suddenly, Shi Liuli went crazy and started tearing my clothes off. Then, someone burst in and started fighting with him. I took the chance to run during the chaos. As I ran, I saw you and Ju Lang..."

"Cough!" An Zhi interrupted Jian Fengzi with a cough. Then he asked again, "Did you get a clear look at the person who saved you?

Jian Fengzi shook his head vigorously, "No matter who he is, since he saved the Sage Son of Wangsi Terrace, he will surely receive its protection. An Zhi, An Zhi! Send me back to Shangchicheng quickly!"

An Zhi replied, "Little Feng, you can't return to Wangsi Terrace—"

"Why not?" Jian Fengzi inquired.

An Zhi hesitated, unsure if he should reveal the truth to Jian Fengzi. But knowing what he did, he couldn't send him back into danger.

"Um... well... erh..." Just as An Zhi was struggling to find the right words, Ju Lang spoke up,

"The entire festival in Shangchicheng was a farce."

"Nonsense!" Jian Fengzi instinctively defended his family and Shangchicheng's reputation.

Ju Lang continued, "Before we set off for Shangchicheng, we dyed An Zhi's hair black because it was originally white. Green robes and white hair—who does that remind you of?"

Realization dawned on Jian Fengzi, and he found it hard to believe. After a moment of stunned silence, he looked at An Zhi and confirmed, "You're Shen Yuan?"

An Zhi replied awkwardly, "Uh... yes."

Jian Fengzi asked, "So you didn't have any reaction when I talked about you like that on the yacht?!"

An Zhi responded, "One is not offended by what they do not know."

Ju Lang inquired, "Little Feng, since Shen Yuan is here, then who was that lying in Wangsi Terrace's Pure Pool?"

Jian Fengzi shook his head, struggling to form coherent sentences due to the immense shock from Ju Lang's revelation. "I-I-I don't know... know... No idea..."

Ju Lang said, "We'll have to ask He Mengfang about that."

Jian Fengzi interjected, "But he's already dead." He turned back to An Zhi and pleaded, "An Zhi, please send me back to Shangchicheng."

An Zhi asked, "You know the truth, yet you still want to go back?"

Jian Fengzi explained, "Ever since I was a child, everyone told me that I was Wangsi Terrace's Holy Son, with an esteemed status and loved by all. My entire life has been centered around becoming the Holy Son, or rather, my life has been defined by this title."

Letting out a sigh, An Zhi felt sorrow for Jian Fengzi. He said, "Alright then — we'll take you back to Shangchicheng."

...

An Zhi once again dyed his white hair black and, alongside Ju Lang and Jian Fengzi, returned to Shangchi City.

In that familiar inn, An Zhi found himself constantly worrying about Jian Fengzi, so he suggested, "Let's go see how Little Feng is doing."

Ju Lang shook his head. "I don't want you to risk venturing into Wangsi Terrace."

"But Little Feng..." Before An Zhi could finish, Ju Lang interrupted him, saying,

"If you're truly worried, I'll go check on the situation for you. But you have to stay in this inn."

After Ju Lang left, An Zhi grew restless. He let out a long sigh, and suddenly, the scene before his eyes began to shake violently, as if he were watching an old television with intermittent static and flickers.

"What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes hard and then slowly opened them again.

"Ahh!" He jumped in fright.

Just moments ago, he had been in the inn, but in the blink of an eye, he found himself in a dimly lit tunnel.

The passage was wide, measuring around four to five meters across, with a luminous pearl embedded on each side. Every dozen steps or so, another one was placed.

The nocturnal pearls emitted a soft, dark green glow that illuminated the paintings on the stone walls above the passage — all depicting distorted tales of Shen Yuan's deeds.

The paintings were boldly colored, with glaring reds contrasting against the green hues of the nocturnal pearls. The lines were sharp, portraying Shen Yuan as a malevolent spirit with blue clothes and white hair.

At first glance, An Zhi felt as if he had stepped into the Hall of Yama.

Before him stood a man dressed in purple, wearing a mask of a fox with alternating red and white colors.

"Shi Liuli!" Upon sight of the fox mask, An Zhi immediately identified him.

Shi Liuli removed his mask, revealing a captivatingly charming face.

Radiating beauty and vitality, his demeanor was refined and elegant, akin to that of a scholarly poet, imbued with a classic, sophisticated charm.

He was undoubtedly a man of talent.

An Zhi exclaimed, "You've used illusions to deceive me again, transporting me from the inn to this place!"

Shi Liuli took a step closer to An Zhi, raising her hands.

An Zhi, assuming she was about to make a move, instinctively stepped back. To his surprise, she changed her gesture, clasping her hands together and bowing her head. "I'm asking you to bring Little Feng away from Long Bo."

An Zhi was puzzled. "Since Yuwen Fengyao's death, Long Bo has vanished. How could he be at Wangsi Terrace?"

Shi Liuli replied, "For a thousand years, Long Bo has remained unseen in Shangchicheng, never leaving. He is the Holy Master of Wangsi Terrace. He's been waiting there, hoping to reunite with Yuwen Fengyao in her next reincarnation. The one who rescued Little Feng from my grasp in Ping Sha was also him."

An Zhi inquired, "Then who is Little Feng?"

"You must have guessed by now," Shi Liuli answered truthfully. "Little Feng is the third reincarnation of Xiao Zhuoquan and Yuwen Fengyao. Knowing that Fengyao's third life would be born into the Jian family, Long Bo made a deal with Dian Shan. As long as Long Bo stays at Wangsi Terrace, the Jian family's descendants will serve as the Holy Sons, always by Long Bo's side."

An Zhi found it hard to comprehend. "Even if they're reincarnations, their experiences and parents are different. Can they still be considered the same person?"

Shi Liuli's expression visibly saddened. "Before, I thought so. Now, I don't think so – Xiao Zhuo will never return, Yuwen Fengyao isn't her, and Jian Fengzi isn't her either."

An Zhi asked, "What exactly happened between you, Long Bo, Xiao Zhuoquan, and Yuwen Fengyao?"

Shi Liuli hesitated for a moment before finally making up her mind. "Xiao Zhuo had a maid named Qing Su. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the two of them were forced into a life of hardship."

"And their fall from grace was, in part, due to my actions," Shi Liuli said, filled with self-reproach.

An Zhi was puzzled. "You?"

"At that time, I didn't understand what love was. I only knew that the moment I laid eyes on Little Candle, my soul trembled, and I wanted to see her sink into my world, becoming my plaything," Shi Liuli explained.

An Zhi found this person utterly despicable.

Shi Liuli continued her recollection. "After Little Candle was reincarnated as Yuwen Fengyao, I pursued her, but she fell for Long Bo instead."

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