Half the time had passed since they had come down the mountain and left Gu Qingyun; time was flowing like water, but Ye Qianjue felt it was too slow.
He hadn’t seen his Master for half a month, and he wondered how Master was doing. Was Master living his life as usual without him?
Ye Qianjue sat before the window in deep thought, lost in a daze. Yeyuan, on the bed, let out a yawn and poked his head out to look at Ye Qianjue. That thin, frail frame had been holding the same position for a long time.
At this moment, there was a knock at the door. Bai Xiuzhu stood outside, looking impatient: “Hey! That person is here to see you again.”
Ye Qianjue got up and opened the door, “Are you coming with me?”
Bai Xiuzhu frowned, “What’s the use of me going with you? His goal is clear; he’s just waiting for you. Alright, come back soon, don’t let Senior Brother Yan worry.”
“Oh~”
Ye Qianjue whistled, and Yeyuan leaped off the bed with lightning speed, following Ye Qianjue downstairs.
That magnificent carriage had been parked in the same spot for half a month. The local commoners, who had initially craned their necks in curiosity, were now used to it. Seeing Ye Qianjue leave the inn, Xuanyuan Xinbei approached him at the first opportunity.
“Qianjue, a storyteller has come to the teahouse today. I heard the stories are quite fresh; why don’t we go take a look?”
As Xuanyuan Xinbei spoke, he reached out to pull at Ye Qianjue. In a flash, Ye Qianjue suddenly recalled what his Senior Brother had said—that Xuanyuan Xinbei seemed to like him? Though he didn’t believe it in his heart, he was now on guard. Ye Qianjue skillfully dodged Xuanyuan Xinbei and climbed nimbly into the carriage.
Seeing Xuanyuan Xinbei frozen in place, Ye Qianjue reminded him with a smile: “Let’s go, what are you standing there for?”
After a brief moment of shock, Xuanyuan Xinbei masked the trace of dissatisfaction on his face and then boarded the carriage with a spring breeze. He carefully recalled his every word and action just now where had he gone wrong? Why would Ye Qianjue suddenly distance himself?
You fool, it’s because he finally saw your true face!
Yeyuan crouched proudly at Ye Qianjue’s feet, looking smugly at the deflated Xuanyuan Xinbei.
When they arrived at the teahouse, a burst of applause erupted from inside, grandiose and massive. Ye Qianjue became even more curious; without waiting for Xuanyuan Xinbei to lead the way, he ran inside himself.
In the elegantly decorated teahouse, a platform was set up in the middle of the first floor. On it stood an old gentleman wearing a hat—a strange-looking hat that Ye Qianjue had never seen before.
“It is said he is an entertainer from the Southern Frontier who makes a living from the oral techniques of storytelling.” Xuanyuan Xinbei’s voice sounded from behind.
The two took their seats, and Ye Qianjue watched the storyteller without blinking. The stories the man told were more interesting than the last—about mermen in the South Sea, about which Prince had taken a concubine~
“Truly interesting~” Ye Qianjue exclaimed.
With a slap of the table, the storyteller began the next story. He stroked his long beard, one eyebrow raised, looking ridiculous.
“It is said that the Chunyang Immortal Monarch had a sweet-looking disciple, and the two lived together for more than a decade. Just as the disciple was about to descend to the mortal world to undergo a tribulation—Slap!” The man even added his own sound effects.
“The Chunyang Immortal Monarch actually schemed to excise the disciple’s immortal bones! Some guessed it was because the disciple had offended his master! Others said it was because the master was afraid the disciple would succeed in his tribulation and surpass him! Eh~ guess what happened? One day, the Xiashang Fairy came to visit the Chunyang Immortal Monarch and happened to peek at the scene inside the room. She saw the Chunyang Immortal Monarch had tied his own disciple to a chair…”
Some in the room found it delightful, while others scoffed. Ye Qianjue listened intently. If a master can love his disciple, can a disciple also love his master?
“What kind of nonsense is this! A master falling in love with his disciple this, this has never been heard of!”
Someone in the audience raised an objection, but the storyteller slapped the book and retorted sharply: “Do you see more, or do I see more? There are millions of men and women in this world. There are countless men who love men and women who love women; what’s wrong with one more pair of master-disciple lovers?”
The guest wanted to argue a few more sentences, but his tongue was not as quick as the old man’s, and he was quickly defeated.
Men loving men?
The two people and one dog present were all silent. Yeyuan and Xuanyuan Xinbei moved their gazes toward Ye Qianjue in unison, but at this moment, Ye Qianjue seemed to have made a decision in his heart, his expression becoming resolute.
After the event, the three of them left the teahouse, their faces flushed red. A breeze blew, blowing away a lot of their restlessness. They remained silent, none of them willing to break the atmosphere.
It wasn’t until they passed a Nanfeng House (brothel for men) that Ye Qianjue gained some spirit. He looked up and saw many beautiful ladies standing at the gate of the pleasure house. The outgoing Ye Qianjue went straight up to them without saying a word. He looked at these girls with a smile and greeted them: “Excuse me, ladies, is there a wedding ceremony being held here? It’s so lively.”
By the time Xuanyuan Xinbei wanted to pull Ye Qianjue back, it was too late. Ye Qianjue was already surrounded by a circle of male prostitutes. Ye Qianjue, who was unaware of the situation, frowned and asked in confusion: “Sister, your voice sounds like a man’s, but also like a woman’s?”
As soon as these words were spoken, the male prostitutes of the Nanfeng House all laughed out loud. A bold beauty in red directly grabbed Ye Qianjue’s hand and placed it on his chest.
“No!”
Ye Qianjue screamed, hurriedly retracting his hand. His gaze shifted, looking at the beauty in red in confusion. Realizing that they were men dressed as women, Ye Qianjue flushed red, like a frightened cat, and fled rapidly.
Yeyuan saw them bullying Ye Qianjue for his ignorance, so he barked at the male prostitutes a few times, scaring them into hiding inside the flower house.
Xuanyuan Xinbei held his forehead and introduced: “This is a brothel, exclusively for guests with special interests. What you see are all proper men. I wanted to warn you just now, but you ran too fast and I couldn’t stop you.”
“But these men dressing up as women also have a unique flavor~ What do you think?” Xuanyuan Xinbei added.
Ye Qianjue shook his head, his cheeks remaining hot. Having seen and heard too much today, Ye Qianjue felt dizzy and couldn’t accept so many things all at once. Especially knowing that between master and disciple… He was thoroughly confused and needed to think carefully about his future plans. He turned to face Xuanyuan Xinbei, his expression calm: “I want to go back. I’m too tired today and want to rest quickly.”
Looking at Ye Qianjue, who was full of spring colors, they had a tacit understanding.
“Alright, I’ll take you back.”
The carriage drove continuously through the crowd; all kinds of people passed by, and their conversations fell into Ye Qianjue’s ears.
The inn arrived. Yan Yi had been waiting in front of the inn for a long time; Ye Qianjue was someone he had watched grow up. Nominally he was a Senior Brother, but he was actually as close as a normal brother.
“Qian—” Yan Yi saw Xuanyuan Xinbei take a belt from his sleeve and hand it to Ye Qianjue. Seeing this scene, Yan Yi stopped abruptly.
“What an exquisite belt, but I can’t use it. Master doesn’t like me using such extravagant things. You should take it back.”
Ye Qianjue pushed Xuanyuan Xinbei’s hand away. Seeing that the carefully prepared belt could not be given away, Xuanyuan Xinbei became somewhat anxious and forcibly shoved it into Ye Qianjue’s arms.
His tone was firm: “I chose this carefully. If Qianjue still has this Brother Xuanyuan in his heart, then accept it.”
Giving someone a belt is usually associated with throwing a sachet. Both have the meaning of conveying love. Obviously, Xuanyuan Xinbei was convinced that Ye Qianjue, having lived in the deep mountains for a long time, did not know these worldly customs; that was why he dared to send him a belt.
But Ye Qianjue didn’t understand, while Yeyuan did. Seeing that belt embedded with jade, Yeyuan’s murderous intent arose instantly. He looked at the malicious Xuanyuan Xinbei in front of him and bit him directly.
One person and one dog were entangled in a mess, causing the people around to stop and stare.
“Yeyuan! Hurry and let go… Brother Xuanyuan…”
Ye Qianjue was spinning around in anxiety; helping this one was wrong, and helping that one was not right either. At this moment, Mo Yan outside the carriage also joined the battle, pointing his sword at Yeyuan: “Beast! Why don’t you release your bite immediately!”
The two sides were at daggers drawn and at a stalemate. Yan Yi appeared in time and performed magic to separate the person and the dog.
“What’s wrong? I could hear the noise from the room.”
Bai Xiuzhu and Bai Fulan also rushed to the scene upon hearing the commotion. For a moment just now, Xuanyuan Xinbei wanted to directly kill this beast that was opposing him, but vaguely, he heard Ye Qianjue call this beast “Yeyuan”? Yeyuan seemed to be the name of that Demon Lord; why would Ye Qianjue call this dog…
Xuanyuan Xinbei became suspicious immediately, but because there were many onlookers, it was not easy to have a big fight; after all, it was just a dog, and taking action would make him look petty.
“Fourth Prince, are you alright? This dog is kept by the Little Junior Brother and has been spoiled. It bumped into you today, please forgive me.”
Yan Yi looked at Ye Qianjue with a serious tone: “Hurry up and bring the dog down.”
Ye Qianjue knew this was helping Yeyuan escape punishment, so he quickly hugged Yeyuan and got off the carriage. Xuanyuan Xinbei tidied his messy clothes, looked at the dog casually, and said gently: “It’s fine, it’s just a ‘beast’ after all.”
He deliberately emphasized the word “beast,” yet the originally quiet Yeyuan went crazy again. Ye Qianjue was anxious, his small face pale, and he had to hug the dog tightly in his arms. Just as the crowd dispersed, Xuanyuan Xinbei stopped Ye Qianjue, then came to his side and stuffed the belt into his arms.
He whispered: “Whether you accept it or not is your business; sending it is my business.”
Then a curve appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he left dashingly.
Bai Xiuzhu on the side watched with a heavy expression; he snorted heavily in the direction Xuanyuan Xinbei left: “Putting on an act.”
Yeyuan returned to the room in low spirits. Ye Qianjue was in no mood to pay attention to him now; clearly, Yeyuan had been impulsive today.
“Why are you still angry? Is your Demon Clan so petty?”
Yeyuan said nothing.
“Forget it, I’ll ignore you. I’m going to bathe, you reflect on yourself behave…”
Ye Qianjue sat in the wooden barrel; this bathing space was too small. He instantly missed the Spirit-Cleansing Pool of his Master. Ye Qianjue took off his clothes, leaned back comfortably against the edge of the barrel, and looked toward Yeyuan.
“Are you really angry? Why, because you hate Brother Xuanyuan? Actually, he isn’t a bad person. Try contacting him; he is still very interesting, don’t you agree?”
Yeyuan said nothing.
Ye Qianjue let out a hum, his nasal tone somewhat heavy. He had originally intended to leave Yeyuan alone, but Ye Qianjue couldn’t bear it—that was his dog! How could this master use cold violence!
“Yeyuan, you are the Demon Lord, right!”
“Nonsense.” Yeyuan finally whimpered softly.
Seeing that his talking had an effect, Ye Qianjue became interested; he turned over, propped up his head, and watched the lazy dog on the bed.
“I heard from Bai Xiuzhu that the Demon Clan is very open. Is it true that there are many ‘short sleeves’ (homosexuals)? Just like the one told in the teahouse today.”
“About that~ I’ve heard quite a bit, but I’ve never seen it. However, between men…”
Yeyuan recalled his life in the Demon Palace. Because he did not get close to women, the elders of the Demon Palace once thought he liked men. Thus, for several days in a row, they offered him handsome men, and even changed the books he used to kill time into stories about men. Even after glancing at the bare, fair bodies entangled together, Yeyuan was still puzzled how could men do such things together?
“What are you thinking about?”
Ye Qianjue looked at Yeyuan ignorantly. The sound of water splashing dripped; Yeyuan looked over. Dimly, amidst the misty vapor, Ye Qianjue stood up and draped an inner garment over himself.
The pure white clothes were thin and light, as if he had draped moonlight over his body. Ye Qianjue’s pair of long, beautiful eyes looked toward Yeyuan, stirring one’s heart and soul. Yeyuan now knew why Gu Qingyun cherished this disciple so much; such a scene, anyone who saw it would cherish him, holding him as a treasure.
Ye Qianjue, not feeling anything amiss, climbed into the quilt and hugged Yeyuan tightly, just to absorb that touch of softness and the cute ears.
“Your ears are so cute; every time I poke them, they close up~”
Ye Qianjue’s words became a sword of charm, attacking the castle in his heart one blade at a time. Yeyuan felt he was about to be defeated. Rarely seen, the always arrogant and unruly Yeyuan actually hid at the foot of the bed.