Chapter 60: Brother Xuan Ji, Your Hand

Chapter 60 Brother Xuan Ji, Your Hand

They left the imperial palace, and Chi Yu finally witnessed how ancient people celebrated the New Year.

First, there was the sheer exuberance. Lanterns and festive decorations adorned every street and alley, spring couplets graced doorways, and vendors hawked their wares with renewed vigor, eager to close up shop early and head home.

Street performers, too, emerged in droves. After all, it was New Year's Eve, a time when common folk usually had a little extra coin. Chi Yu stood for a while, captivated by fire-breathers and stilt-walkers. When a performer approached with a copper bowl for donations, he pulled a gold ingot from his low-grade storage pouch and dropped it in. The performer's eyes gleamed; he bowed deeply, a wide grin on his face, then had his son, who was balancing the bowl on his head, perform an impromptu sword-swallowing act for Chi Yu.

Chi Yu, equally generous, tossed another gold piece into the man's copper bowl.

However, overwhelmed by the performer's effusive gratitude, Chi Yu grabbed Wu Yunsu and made a swift exit.

Du Ya, possessing a face of extraordinary beauty, always wore a mask when out in public. Dressed in plain clothes, he went unrecognized. He held no interest in mortal affairs, nor did Xie Xiyi. So, the two stood by, observing the younger ones darting from one street to another, their hands gradually filling with various snacks—flatbreads, candied hawthorn skewers, sticky toffee, and more.

Du Ya remarked to Xie Xiyi, "Your junior brother has quite the lively spirit."

Xie Xiyi replied coolly, "Hmm."

Du Ya stroked his chin. "He can't handle my poison sac. You shouldn't have given it to him. Refining it is one thing, but even after containment, he'd need constant vigilance. One slip, and he could poison everyone nearby. That venom is incredibly potent and incurable. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been plagued by it for so many years. Our emperor once wanted to emulate the ancients and share a bed with me, but I refused—I was afraid I might sneeze in my sleep and accidentally poison him."

He sighed heavily, lamenting the many opportunities for intimacy with the emperor he had missed due to his innate poison sac.

A mere recollection brought tears to Du Ya's eyes. "The emperor even asked me to bathe him and massage his shoulders—how could I do that wearing gloves? He wanted to dine with me—how could I bring my own utensils? He wanted us to ride in the same carriage—how could I be fully armored? One night, I fell asleep in the emperor's bedchamber and woke up to find him so close, his nose almost touching my face. It scared me so much my Dao heart nearly shattered."

Xie Xiyi: "..."

He truly hadn't considered any of that.

He had simply seen the poison sac as an excellent item, and such a good thing, he had immediately thought of Long Aotian.

Now, reflecting on it, giving him such an item was indeed inappropriate.

Little Qiu couldn't use it either—

But surely, someone could make use of it.

Du Ya said, "If you only take half the sac, the remaining half will still be a burden to me. It would be simpler to take it all."

Xie Xiyi said nonchalantly, "My junior brother worried that without your poison sac, you'd have nothing to rely on in the future. He pestered me to let you exchange it for something else."

A warmth spread through Du Ya's chest. "Your junior brother is truly kind-hearted. You should learn from him, instead of always being so quick to resort to violence."

Xie Xiyi drew his sword. "Want to die?"

Du Ya: "Wait, wait, wait—we're in a crowded market! What are you doing?"

Xie Xiyi calmly returned his sword to its sheath. "I can seal the remaining half of your poison sac, but you'll have to exchange it for something else."

Du Ya's eyes lit up, his heterochromatic gaze scrutinizing Xie Xiyi. "You have so many secrets—creating spirit roots, sealing my poison sac. Just the ability to create spirit roots alone is enough for me to hold leverage over you. How dare you ask for more?"

Many second-generation immortals lacked spirit roots, often because one of their parents was a mortal without one. If this ability were to leak out, he would surely never know peace.

Xie Xiyi said, "I haven't even given your emperor a spirit root yet, and you're already threatening me?"

"..." Du Ya instantly became docile. "Just kidding with you. Look at you, so serious. We demons just love to joke around."

He quickly added, "We can sign a contract. If I reveal anything, my heavenly tribulation will double, and I'll perish completely. Will that reassure you?"

Xie Xiyi: "Then think about what you can offer in exchange."

Du Ya pondered for a long time. As a Nascent Soul stage great demon, he didn't have much wealth—cultivation, after all, consumed vast amounts of spirit stones. Rogue cultivators or demons without clan backing who reached the Nascent Soul stage were usually penniless.

He reluctantly said, "I'll trade you my horns. My innate poison is unique in the world, and my horns, when ground into powder, can cure most poisons, including those of anger, hatred, the seven emotions, and even heart demons."

Xie Xiyi said, "Agreed. I want a pair."

Du Ya couldn't help but be shocked by his audacity. "That's too much. I'd become hideous!"

Xie Xiyi said, "You don't have to trade."

Du Ya: "..."

Du Ya said, "Let me think about it."

Chi Yu returned with Little Qiu, laden with treats, and cheerfully told Xie Xiyi, "Brother Xuan Ji, you should have come with us. There were some cultivators performing over there."

Xie Xiyi's lips curved slightly. "And?"

Chi Yu said, "Those cultivators were performing too, using illusion magic. It was very lively, lots of people. I saw they were at the Qi Refining stage, so I gave them a few low-grade spirit stones. They were so happy they gave me these flowers."

He pulled from behind his back a rare bouquet of Chinese trumpet vine, its snow-white petals faintly glowing with spiritual energy—a delicate ornamental spirit plant.

"Brother Xuan Ji, these flowers are for you." Chi Yu held them out, his beautiful eyes sparkling with a pure expectation and joy that Xie Xiyi didn't quite comprehend.

Xie Xiyi reached out and took them. "Uprooted, they will wither tonight."

Chi Yu said, "But they're beautiful."

Xie Xiyi said, "Beautiful things are fleeting, like time itself."

Chi Yu: "..."

Brother Xuan Ji, are you a science major?!

Romance-impaired (x)

Xie Xiyi lightly snapped his fingers. An icy chill spread along the green stems. Soon, the bouquet of trumpet vine transformed into a beautiful work of art.

Xie Xiyi's lips curved, and his voice was melodious as he said, "This way, they can be preserved for many years. I accept them."

With that, he tucked the flowers into his wide sleeve.

"Hehe." Chi Yu giggled.

Xie Xiyi looked at him. "So happy?"

Chi Yu: "Yeah."

He was happy because the person before him wasn't a villain; he was his Brother Xuan Ji.

Even if he offered a seemingly worthless flower, Brother Xuan Ji would cherish it deeply.

Unable to contain himself, Chi Yu said, "Brother Xuan Ji, I really, really, really like you. You're the best senior brother."

Before Xie Xiyi could reply, Du Ya interjected, "You two are so mushy. Is this how normal senior and junior brothers act? So clingy."

Chi Yu: "..."

No, you're the one who keeps talking about "my Emperor" all the time, what right do you have to criticize them?

Xie Xiyi said, "Want to die?"

Du Ya: "Alright, I'll shut up."

*

They played outside until almost late afternoon before returning to the palace.

As soon as they returned, firecrackers began to explode outside, making it quite festive.

But the palace itself was cold and quiet, with all the palace staff being very cautious and rarely whispering to each other.

Du Ya commented, "His Majesty is fragile and sensitive now; even the slightest noise keeps him awake. The Yu Dynasty's climate is also too distinct across the seasons. In summer, the insects are so loud that all the palace maids and eunuchs have to go catch them."

Little Qiu said, "You could set up a barrier spell."

Du Ya: "Do you think barrier spells are free?"

Little Qiu was surprised: "Are you that poor?"

Du Ya: "..."

As a Nascent Soul stage great demon, his total assets amounted to no more than 12 mid-grade spirit stones.

The demon beasts and monsters he killed could have been exchanged for money, but he had used up everything to prepare the Longevity Pill.

He considered robbing human cultivators, but he was afraid that attacking the younger ones would bring out the older, more powerful ones. He had the desire but not the courage, especially since he had many people relying on him.

Little Qiu understood something from his silence and took out a mid-grade spirit stone from his pocket. "You poor thing, this is my lucky money for you. It's not much, but take it."

Du Ya laughed angrily, "You, a brat still wet behind the ears, dare to take advantage of me?"

As if he didn't know that lucky money was something elders gave to juniors.

Little Qiu: "Don't want it? Then forget it."

He made to take it back.

Du Ya snatched it. "I want it."

Saving face? Only humans care about that.

He was a demon; what did he need that for?

As they spoke, they arrived at Xiao Jingyu's bedchamber.

At his age, his parents and clan elders had long passed away. Several brothers he had stripped of power had humbled themselves for freedom and even offered children with spirit roots to cultivators in exchange for a few Longevity Pills, extending their lives by a hundred years. Some were frantically having children, while others planned to offer their children as heirs to Xiao Jingyu.

Xiao Jingyu ignored all of this.

Thus, although it was a family dinner, it was usually just him and Du Ya. This year, a few more had joined.

Before Chi Yu and the others even entered, they heard Xiao Jingyu coughing. Du Ya quickened his pace and rushed in like the wind. "Your Majesty!"

"It's nothing," Xiao Jingyu's voice came through.

"Your Majesty, this medicine will make you feel more comfortable."

After taking the medicine, Xiao Jingyu seemed much more energetic. Seeing Chi Yu and the others, he offered a gentle smile. "Honored immortals, please take your seats."

He added, "Sanxi, have the dishes served."

The eunuch beside him replied, "Yes."

Chi Yu had already attended a palace banquet once, and the food was indeed delicious. This New Year's Eve dinner was also very lavish. Even though Chi Yu tried to avoid indulging too much, he still ended up eating several extra bowls.

After he had eaten his fill, he heard Xie Xiyi say, "Today is an auspicious day."

Du Ya understood. "Then let's do it today."

Xiao Jingyu quickly realized and looked at Chi Yu.

Chi Yu guiltily averted his gaze.

He understood why Xiao Jingyu chose to confide in him—he wanted him and Brother Xuan Ji to be the ones to break the promise and take the blame, so he wouldn't have to personally persuade or entangle with Du Ya.

As a mortal, in a matter that didn't harm him, he knew he had no right to refuse.

Du Ya, as a Nascent Soul stage great demon, might be foolish enough to be used by the emperor for decades to fight his wars and rally the people, but his power was real. If he was determined to do something, no one could stop him.

Unless they broke the agreement.

A very clever move—truly befitting an emperor.

Among everyone present, only Xiao Jingyu was a mortal. He had no way to refuse, but as the emperor, he maintained a calm and poised demeanor. He simply asked, "How long will it take?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Very quickly. You can take a nap first."

Xiao Jingyu stood up, and the eunuch immediately stepped forward to support him. "To the bed?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Yes."

They entered the bedchamber. When Chi Yu and Du Ya tried to follow, Little Qiu very consciously stopped them. "Brother Aotian, you can't go in."

Du Ya looked and couldn't help but laugh. "Your senior brother even hid it from you."

Chi Yu quickly understood and said, "That's normal. I also keep things from Brother Xuan Ji. Everyone has secrets; it's perfectly normal."

Little Qiu said matter-of-factly, "Actually, it's not much of a secret. It wouldn't matter if you knew, Brother Aotian, but it's the rule, so I have to stop you for appearances."

Chi Yu laughed. "I understand. No need to explain so much."

Du Ya wanted to use his spiritual sense to check inside. After all, the spiritual sense of a Nascent Soul stage cultivator was much stronger than that of the Golden Core stage. With caution, a Golden Core stage cultivator would hardly notice.

But as soon as his spiritual sense reached inside, Xie Xiyi's voice came through. "If you keep spying, the deal is off."

Du Ya: "..."

He quickly withdrew his spiritual sense, deeply baffled—how did he even detect it?

This man had too many secrets.

Du Ya waited obediently outside the door but couldn't help feeling anxious. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

Chi Yu listened and heard him say, "It has to be a dual spirit root, a dual spirit root. Bodhisattva, please bless us; all gods and buddhas, I pray. It must be a dual spirit root, or we won't be able to afford it."

Chi Yu: "..."

It was like watching a new father anxiously pacing outside a delivery room.

However, didn't you say before that it must be three spirit roots?

Does he really think Brother Xuan Ji is a genie?

Chi Yu complained inwardly but kept a straight face.

He was also very curious whether Brother Xuan Ji could actually produce a spirit root.

They waited for about an hour before Xie Xiyi opened the door, drying his hands on a silk cloth. "Done."

Du Ya immediately rushed inside. Shortly after, Chi Yu heard screams from within: "Three spirit roots!!! It really is a spirit root!!! A spirit root! Oh heavens! Your Majesty! You can cultivate now! Wake up quickly! Our ancestors' graves are smoking with good fortune!!"

As soon as Chi Yu entered, he saw Du Ya violently shaking the emperor's shoulders.

Chi Yu: "..."

The heavens are truly fair—while it gave Brother Du Ya formidable strength, it also took his brains.

Chi Yu backed away, unable to help but break out in a cold sweat for the emperor.

As an observer, he could see clearly: between the emperor and the demon dragon, it appeared the emperor held the power and the demon dragon was reverent, but in reality, the demon dragon was the one with substantial strength.

After they left the palace, Chi Yu’s cultivator's sharp senses allowed him to hear the conversation between the emperor and Du Ya after the emperor woke up: "Minister Pei, if you shake me any more, I’ll soon be able to meet the late emperor."

"Oh, I apologize, Your Majesty. I was too excited. Are you alright, Your Majesty? You should start cultivating today. Although it’s only three spirit roots, it’s not too bad. With me here, I will ensure you reach Golden Core."

The emperor said, "No rush, Minister Pei..."

Chi Yu couldn’t help but say, "I hope all lovers in the world end up together."

Xie Xiyi asked, "What did you say?"

Chi Yu snapped back to reality and said, "I said I hope Du Ya and the emperor can become a couple."

Xie Xiyi raised an eyebrow. "Are they lovers?"

Chi Yu: "...Brother Xuan Ji, I wasn’t wrong—they're a couple."

Xie Xiyi said indifferently, "So what? What does it have to do with us?"

Chi Yu: "..."

Well, it really has nothing to do with them.

Still, "Brother Xuan Ji, aren't you curious at all?"

Xie Xiyi replied coldly, "If it were beneficial to cultivation, I wouldn’t mind having some, but this is of no use. And you—your curiosity is too excessive. With that kind of focus, you’d be better off putting it into cultivation."

Chi Yu: "..."

That’s so like you, Brother Xuan Ji!

Chi Yu said meekly, "Understood, Brother Xuan Ji."

Because of the crown prince’s upright nature, Chi Yu never doubted anything he did to him.

Why would he doubt it? Chi Yu believed Brother Xuan Ji had no concept of such things.

And indeed, that was the case.

Exactly because he had no idea, that very night, Xie Xiyi calmly brought up Visualization without batting an eye.

"What? Take off my clothes?" Chi Yu widened his eyes.

Xie Xiyi said patiently, "If you don’t want to, then don’t."

Chi Yu quickly said, "Ah... it’s fine, it’s fine. I can take them off."

He felt a little shy and embarrassed. As a southerner, he had never even been to a public bathhouse. Aside from when his parents bathed him as a child, he had almost never exposed his body in front of others.

He pretended to be casual as he took off his outer robe, acting like it was no big deal, and asked Xie Xiyi nonchalantly, "Brother Xuan Ji, how much should I take off?"

Xie Xiyi thought for a moment and said, "Just bare your upper body."

So Chi Yu took off his upper robe. His belt accentuated his slender waist, and as his top slipped off, it was caught by the belt, bunching up at his waist and emphasizing how slim he was. Yet, despite his slender waist, it was covered with defined abdominal muscles—a lean, beautiful physique.

Thanks to the Dust Cleaning Spell, cultivators hardly needed to bathe to stay clean, so it had been a long time since Chi Yu had looked at his own body. Now, he was surprised to see he had developed a four-pack—a nice definition, neither exaggerated nor weak, healthy and aesthetically pleasing.

He couldn’t help but feel proud. With such a nice body, he had nothing to be embarrassed about!

Although he had good athleticism and often played sports, his heavy academic workload always squeezed out his exercise time. Before transmigrating, his abdominal muscles were merely from being thin, without any real strength.

Now it was different—this was the result of his hard work in cultivation.

Xie Xiyi’s golden eyes reflected Chi Yu’s fair skin, his pupils slightly dilating as the corners of his lips curled up. "Come here," he said.

Chi Yu strode confidently over to Xie Xiyi, reached out to touch his own abs, and said happily, "Brother Xuan Ji, look at my abs. Aren’t they nice?"

Xie Xiyi said dismissively, "What’s so special about that?"

Sometimes Chi Yu felt wilted by his lack of interest. "Brother Xuan Ji, do you have them? How many do you have?"

Xie Xiyi said casually, "You can see for yourself."

Chi Yu was shocked. "See for myself? How?"

Xie Xiyi said, "Use your Spiritual Sense. Don’t you know how?"

Chi Yu: You can do that?

Learned something new.jpg

He extended his Spiritual Sense, passed through Xie Xiyi’s robe, and saw the body beneath—ah, eight packs.

And fuller than his own, very nice.

Chi Yu didn’t feel inferior. He naturally thought, It’s normal—after all, Brother Xuan Ji is taller than me, with broader shoulders. It’s only natural he has such a physique.

It’s just that the loose robe was really deceptive—you couldn’t tell at all that Brother Xuan Ji had muscles.

Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly felt a pair of hands touch his skin.

Chi Yu looked down and saw Brother Xuan Ji gripping his waist, saying lightly, "So thin."

Chi Yu’s waist was indeed very slender, still like a teenager’s frame, small-boned. Two hands could wrap around it fully with room to spare.

Chi Yu couldn’t help but save face: "It’s just that your hands are too big, Brother Xuan Ji."

He was ticklish, especially around his waist, but since this was such a serious matter, Chi Yu could only endure it silently, not daring to disturb his Visualization.

Xie Xiyi applied a bit of force, and Chi Yu was pulled against his chest.

Chi Yu was kneeling astride his legs, feeling exceptionally close to him, and could even feel Brother Xuan Ji's warm breath.

Cultivators run hot, due to their abundant true yang energy. Being so close for a while, Chi Yu could feel the surrounding temperature rising sharply, making his cheeks burn as if he were in a steamer.

"You have an ear piercing," Xie Xiyi suddenly said. "Only on one side?"

Chi Yu steadied himself by placing his hands on Xie Xiyi's shoulders and replied, "Yes. Back home, there's a belief that boys who get one ear pierced will be safe and healthy. My grandmother took me to get it done."

Xie Xiyi smiled faintly, one hand resting on Chi Yu's bare back while the other reached into his wide sleeve and pulled out a pair of earrings. "These were meant for my mother for her birthday, but I never gave them to her. Since you have an ear piercing, I’ll give them to you."

Chi Yu looked down and saw a pair of circular earrings adorned with small, round gemstones. They were beautiful and with a gender-neutral design.

But he'd missed the point. Curious, he asked, "If they were a birthday gift, why didn’t you give them to her?"

Xie Xiyi said, "No particular reason."

Chi Yu understood—that meant he didn’t want to talk about it.

It seemed there was some hidden story, but since Brother Xuan Ji didn’t wish to share, he wouldn't push.

Just as he was about to take the earrings, Xie Xiyi closed his hand and tucked them back into his wide sleeve.

Chi Yu: "?"

Xie Xiyi mused, "Since they couldn’t be given, they're probably bad luck. Next time, I’ll give you something better."

Chi Yu: "...Alright."

Chi Yu: "Wait, Brother Xuan Ji, your hand—"

He reached behind his back and grabbed Xie Xiyi’s wandering hand, asking alarmed, "Brother Xuan Ji, what are you doing?"

Xie Xiyi said, "I don’t know. It went there on its own."

Chi Yu: "..."

Xie Xiyi: "Since that’s the case, we should follow nature's course."

Chi Yu: "Wait—"

Author's Note:

Xiao Yu: Nothing scares me more than hearing "go with the flow." QAQ

11: Stop talking, I'm figuring things out.