Since Ji Yunlang was taking a long time to come down, Husheng went upstairs to look for him. Along the way, he saved Lin Xiao, who was rolling on the floor, by tossing him a medicine pill.
Lin Xiao was incredibly grateful. Just as he was expressing his thanks, the door to the alcove opened, and the two of them stepped out one after the other.
Seeing this, Husheng quietly asked Lin Xiao, “How long did they stay in there?”
Lin Xiao thought for a moment. “Not that long. About an hour?”
Husheng was surprised. “An hour isn’t considered long?”
Jiang Zhou happened to walk up behind him. As he passed by, he tapped Husheng’s head with the scroll in his hand. “No.”
Husheng’s face instantly flushed rosy. He instinctively wanted to follow behind him, but Ji Yunlang grabbed him by the collar and dragged him back.
Ji Yunlang made Husheng sit at the table.
The moment Lin Xiao saw him, his stomach began to ache out of sheer reflex. He hurriedly ran to the window, standing side-by-side with Jiang Zhou.
Jiang Zhou handed him a slip of paper: Any news of your father lately?
“No,” Lin Xiao looked at the scroll in his hand. “My father previously told me to take shelter at Uncle Six’s place once I got the item. But clearly, Uncle Six’s place is no longer livable. Eldest Brother Hu, what are your plans next?”
Jiang Zhou tapped the scroll in his hand. “I need this.”
His unspoken implication was: Do you think it’s more appropriate for you to hand it over willingly, or for me to snatch it from you?
Lin Xiao had never expected to get it back anyway. Hearing this, he nodded. “Alright, Eldest Brother Hu. It’s yours.”
Then, thinking of something, he leaned closer. “Eldest Brother, look at this. Since my father’s item is so mysterious that Uncle Six went as far as buying a whole mansion to store it, doesn’t that prove that my father’s true identity is actually quite extraordinary? Being a lackey was merely his cover, and he has been biding his time in secret for all these years. Once his identity is revealed, he’ll transform completely, leading our entire Lin family to soar to great heig…”
Jiang Zhou: “No.”
Lin Xiao: “Alright.”
Jiang Zhou lowered his eyes to look at the scroll in his hand.
This was the evidence of the five major sects’ secret manipulation of the Bafang Region back then. However, it was just an old list; everyone on it was dead, leaving only him and Feng Xun alive.
As for the current residents of the Bafang Region, the five major sects had specially prepared a new roster for them.
The reason Jiang Zhou had left Ji Yunlang and abandoned his comfortable life in the mansion with his disciple was precisely to find that new roster.
During the five years they lived together, Ji Yunlang had frequently left home, returning with injuries that grew more severe each time. This proved that the unrest among the people of the Bafang Region was growing, and they were on the verge of being uncontrollable.
Not a single person from the Bafang Region, after witnessing the glory of the Immortal Region, would ever be willing to remain in the barren wilderness.
Ji Yunlang had shown them the Immortal Region only to lock them back up, which was practically pointing the spearhead directly at himself, allowing their resentment to fester.
Sooner or later, this hatred would backfire, devouring this young lord until not even his bones remained. The first battle of their invasion of the Immortal Region would be to sacrifice Ji Yunlang’s blood to their banners.
In truth, Jiang Zhou could have chosen to ignore everything and simply wait for the day Ji Yunlang could no longer hold out. Once the passage burst open, the wrath of the Bafang Region would burn the Immortal Region to ashes, rebuilding anew from the ruins. After the great war, there would be peace; the spiritual energy of the Immortal Region would flow to every corner of the Bafang Region, the blood moon would fade, the black sands would disperse, and the barren wilderness would cease to exist, replaced everywhere by the beauty of the Immortal Region.
Yet, it was precisely the existence of Ji Yunlang that made it impossible for him to do nothing.
The people of the Bafang Region were destined to break into the Immortal Region. Before that happened, he had to extract Ji Yunlang from the conflict.
With this in mind, he walked to the table, sat beside Ji Yunlang, and unfurled the scroll once more.
This time, no three-dimensional name flashing with golden light appeared. Disappointed, Ji Yunlang traced his finger in a circle around Jiang Zhou’s name, finally stopping on the character “Jiang”. “So? Your old friend is surnamed Jiang, and my master is also surnamed Jiang. Why is that?”
Jiang Zhou’s finger also tapped down on the character “Jiang”, nudging against Ji Yunlang’s finger next to it. He said, “His name.”
He choked on his words, and Ji Yunlang moved his finger away, refusing to let him touch.
Jiang Zhou added, “Was given by your mother, taking your father’s surname.”
Ji Yunlang’s fingertip traced the characters for “Jiang Zhou”. “So my master knew my parents, and they shared an extraordinary relationship, to the point where even his name was given by them. Let me make a bold guess could it be that my master was raised by them?”
“Mhm.”
Jiang Zhou pointed at “Feng Xun” next to “Jiang Zhou” and said, “Him.”
He then pointed to “Hua Jia” in a far-off corner, away from the two. “And him. The three of them, all.”
He choked on his words again, and Ji Yunlang finished for him, “Were named and raised by my parents?”
Jiang Zhou: “Mhm.”
Ji Yunlang smiled and asked him, “Then what about you?”
Jiang Zhou remained perfectly composed, looking into Ji Yunlang’s eyes as he said word by word, “I admired your mother.”
Beside them, Husheng, who was drinking water, sprayed it out instantly.
Ji Yunlang pondered for a moment and asked, “Do my mother and I look very much alike?”
Jiang Zhou’s gaze was tender as he looked at him. “Mhm.”
But in his heart, he thought: Not alike at all.
Whether in character or appearance, Ji Yunlang resembled neither his father nor his mother. He wasn’t kind, wasn’t gentle, lacked patience, and hated meddling in others’ business. Ji Yunlang was a scoundrel; except for the blood flowing in his veins, he had inherited none of their virtues.
Who did Ji Yunlang resemble the most? Jiang Zhou thought: Ji Yunlang was his disciple, raised by him step by step. Ji Yunlang resembled him the most.
They were the same kind of person.
Hearing him say this, Ji Yunlang sighed helplessly. “Senior, your depth of feeling is very touching, but as you said before, she is already gone. You should stop being so obsessive.”
Jiang Zhou said, “I cannot forget her.”
“So you transferred your feelings onto me?”
Jiang Zhou: “Mhm.”
Ji Yunlang seemed to understand everything in an instant. He nudged Husheng aside to distance himself from Jiang Zhou. “This unrequited love of yours won’t end well.”
Beside him, Husheng refuted, “You’re one to talk about others, aren’t you the same?”
“How can I be the same? I’m not…” Ji Yunlang picked up Husheng’s cup and gave it a sniff, realizing he had secretly poured himself alcohol. He glared at him. “How much did you drink?”
Husheng jumped off his chair and bolted, but Ji Yunlang bound him with spiritual light and dragged him back.
Husheng covered his head and shouted, “Not much! Not much!”
He ran frantically in place, but was still dragged back bit by bit.
Jiang Zhou silently watched the sudden playfulness between the older and younger before him. The intimate familiarity in their interactions could not have been cultivated without years of companionship.
He and Ji Yunlang had also lived together for many years. Whether during his disciple’s childhood or after he grew up, except for those two years Ji Yunlang spent in the Bafang Region, they had eaten and lived together, closer than close.
Yet his relationship with Ji Yunlang had always been strange; they lacked this natural, effortless warmth. Why?
Jiang Zhou couldn’t figure it out.
Over there, Ji Yunlang was pressing down on Husheng’s head, forcing him to promise not to steal alcohol next time. He said, “You are still so small. If you drink, you won’t grow tall.”
“I get it!” Husheng struggled to grab his hand. “If you keep pressing my head like this, I won’t grow tall either!”
Jiang Zhou stood up, took Ji Yunlang’s hand, and pulled it off Husheng’s head. Husheng’s eyes welled with tears of gratitude. “Thank you, Eldest Brother!”
Finding this baffling, Ji Yunlang shook off his hand. “I’m disciplining a kid, what are you joining in for?”
Jiang Zhou reached out and gave his head a gentle rub.
Ji Yunlang shuddered, a strange sense of familiarity washing over him.
Seeing that he did not react, Jiang Zhou moved his fingers down along his hair, lightly touching the medical patch covering the bite mark on the side of his neck.
Ji Yunlang: “You.”
Jiang Zhou felt the edge of the patch with his fingers, applied a bit of force, and peeled it off.
Even with medicine applied, the bite mark there showed no signs of improvement. It was flushed red, and the spot where the teeth had sunk deepest was slightly swollen.
He threw the peeled-off patch onto the floor, his finger pad lightly brushing against the mark. Leaning in slightly close to Ji Yunlang’s ear, he said, “Do not cover it.”
Ji Yunlang frowned, reaching to grab his hand. “Why should I? I will cover it.”
The soft flesh on the other side of his neck was pinched with moderate force. Jiang Zhou said, “If you cover it, I will bite you here.”
Ji Yunlang: “Are you threatening me?”
Jiang Zhou: “Mhm.”
Ji Yunlang: “Fine, I won’t cover it.”
Jiang Zhou let go of his hand and gave his head another rub.
Ji Yunlang sat by the table without moving. He looked obedient on the outside, but inside he was completely frustrated.
He hated people stronger than him the most.
He was powerless against this Hu Ye. The man was an elder, had saved his life, was too strong to beat, loved to harass him, and even spiking his food was useless because the man could just endure it.
How could Jiang Zhou possibly know someone like this?
“Senior,” he opened his mouth, “since my master was well-acquainted with you in the Bafang Region back then, you must know why he came to settle down in the Immortal Region.”
“Mhm.”
Jiang Zhou only hummed in agreement without giving an actual answer, so Ji Yunlang asked again, “Then based on your understanding of him, where should he be in the Immortal Region right now?”
Jiang Zhou asked, “What do you think?”
“He has nowhere else to go. If he isn’t at the Qingxiao Sect, he can only be at Penglai Island.” Ji Yunlang spun his wine cup. “You say he is a Bafang Region native, but everyone knows he hails from the Yun family of Penglai Island… So did he initially come to the Immortal Region from the Bafang Region because of someone from the Yun family?”
“Mhm.”
“Why? Because that person was very important to him? Did he like that person?”
Ji Yunlang was on the verge of fusing the name “Yun Yan” onto his wine cup and crushing it. Jiang Zhou took the cup from his hand and said, “Are you asking me?”
Ji Yunlang wasn’t asking him; he only wanted to ask Jiang Zhou face-to-face.
Jiang Zhou wanted to say something more to him, but suddenly noticed that Lin Xiao by the window was acting strange. Half of his body was leaning out of the window, and it was unclear what he was doing.
Walking closer to take a look, Jiang Zhou saw Lin Xiao clutching a fat pigeon, pinching its beak shut to keep it from cooing.
Jiang Zhou hauled Lin Xiao along with the pigeon back inside.
His sudden appearance startled Lin Xiao into crying out, “Eldest… Eldest Brother Hu!”
Jiang Zhou stared at the small bamboo tube on the pigeon’s leg. “A letter from your father?”
“No,” terrified of being misunderstood, Lin Xiao hurriedly pulled down the bamboo tube and released the spiritual energy inside to show him. “I was trying to send word to my father to let him know I’m safe and that I’ve gotten the item. I wanted to tell him and my mother to stay hidden and not worry.”
Jiang Zhou asked, “You can send messages?”
Lin Xiao: “I can.”
Jiang Zhou: “Rewrite it.”
Lin Xiao: “Write what?”
Shortly after, looking at the words floating in midair, Your son is in my hands. If you want him to live, meet me outside Luxi City tomorrow night at midnight, Lin Xiao went down on his knees with a thud.
“No, Eldest Brother! My parents managed to hide with great difficulty. If they show themselves now and get caught, what then? The Qingxiao Sect is just waiting to capture them!”
Jiang Zhou thought about it, found it reasonable, and added a line: I won’t silence you permanently.
Lin Xiao: “…”
Jiang Zhou brought him to another room and placed a large broadsword in front of him. “I won’t tie you up then.”
Lin Xiao: “Alright.”
Husheng was reluctant to return to the Bafang Region. Standing next to Ji Yunlang, he hesitated to speak, wanting to ask if they could stay in the Immortal Region for a couple more days.
Since he remained silent, Ji Yunlang paid him no mind either.
Seeing Jiang Zhou walk over, Husheng quickly freed up some space for him to sit down, poured him some water, and leaned in close to whisper, “Eldest Brother, what did you come to Luxi City for? Did you come to look for my sis…”
Ji Yunlang grabbed his collar and pulled him away. Without even looking at Jiang Zhou, he said to Husheng, “We are going back.”
“We’re leaving just like that?” Husheng looked at Jiang Zhou, filled with reluctance. “Then Eldest Brother, are you coming back to the Bafang Region with us? The Bone Dragon is still waiting for you at home.”
Seeing him so eager to invite the wolf into the house, Ji Yunlang pinched his cheek and said, “If you talk too much again, I’ll lock you up at home and never let you out.”
“I”
Jiang Zhou came over, rescuing Husheng from Ji Yunlang’s grip, and told him, “I’m not going back. Go play.”
Husheng: “Really?”
Ji Yunlang: “No, we are going back right now.”
Jiang Zhou blocked Ji Yunlang: “You can.”
With that, he reached into his robe and tossed a bag of money to Husheng. “Don’t come back until you’ve spent it all.”
Husheng held the money, his face flushed with excitement. At this moment, Ji Yunlang no longer existed in his eyes; there was only Eldest Brother, his great eldest brother, his eldest brother for life!
Ji Yunlang sneered, “I dare you to try walking out that door.”
Jiang Zhou turned back to face him. “Don’t be harsh on the child.”
Husheng looked them up and down, his face turning even redder. Hanging his head, he turned and ran out of the door in three swift strides.
The moment he was left alone in the room with Jiang Zhou, Ji Yunlang felt uncomfortable. He took two steps back and said, “Stay away from me.”
Jiang Zhou asked, “What are your plans?”
Ji Yunlang: “I don’t have any plans. I’m going home.”
With that, he walked over to the window and looked down.
But their home had already been burned to ashes; there was no home to return to.
He had to find Jiang Zhou.
He detested this feeling of aimlessness having to guess where Jiang Zhou had gone, having to wonder why he left, and not even being guaranteed to find him once he got there.
Moreover, he had not felt the presence of the Spirit-Locking Chain in a very long time. Jiang Zhou might have already found a way to remove the chain around his neck.
Jiang Zhou truly did not want to be with him anymore.
Bastard.
Just as he was about to start hating Jiang Zhou, a few threads of spiritual light suddenly seeped from his fingertips.
A letter from the five major sects had arrived.
He unfurled the spiritual light to read it. The five major sects stated in the message that they had found traces of Jiang Zhou on Penglai Island.
Ji Yunlang stared at the lines of text floating in midair, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.
Jiang Zhou had truly gone to Penglai Island.
He was still thinking of Yun Yan.
Having spent five years with him, his Master must have been holding back to the point of dying inside. That was why he couldn’t wait to seek out Yun Yan the moment he left.
And then what? Clinging to his corpse to whisper sweet nothings, reminiscing about the past in his ear?
Jiang Zhou must have missed him to death. Would Jiang Zhou cry? Would Jiang Zhou die for him?
As expected, a lover who could never wake up was always the most unforgettable.
He did not move, letting the lines condensed from spiritual energy float in the air. Jiang Zhou saw them from a distance and narrowed his eyes to read.
Ji Yunlang’s face was dark. He leaned against the window in absolute silence. After a long while, he yanked the silver chain off his left wrist and threw it out of the window without a trace of hesitation.
Jiang Zhou: “…”
Isn’t that supposed to be our token of love?!