In the dead of night, Zijin, who was fast asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open. His body sat bolt upright as he turned his head toward the door, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
Just as he was about to quietly get out of bed, he tilted his head and saw a figure sitting up on the other bed as well—it was his twin brother, Zipei.
The two made precise eye contact in the darkness. The latter gave the former a slight nod, indicating that he hadn’t misheard: someone had successfully infiltrated the area!
The intruder’s martial arts were exceptionally profound, far beyond what the two of them could handle, but—
The two clenched their teeth in secret, their eyes hidden by the night reflecting a fierce resolve. However, just as they were prepared to rush out of the room, ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the youth’s safety, a calm and gentle voice suddenly reached their ears.
“I am here at A-Ling’s own request. I presume you two have already noticed something was amiss, yet you didn’t report it to your master… Hehe.”
That familiar, refined voice chuckled softly, as if he had already seen through everything. Without waiting for a reaction, he continued: “You should know what to do next. This is what A-Ling hopes for. If you obstruct this scene, A-Ling will be heartbroken…”
These words left Zijin and Zipei stunned. Finally, they lowered their eyes and hissed at the voice through gritted teeth: “How can we be sure you won’t hurt the Young Master?”
The refined voice had predicted their concern perfectly, and the response came leisurely: “Rest assured, A-Ling and I are friends. I adore him more than anything; how could I bear to hurt him? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked discovery by breaking in here deep at night, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Moreover, I could have simply knocked you both unconscious to fulfill my promise to A-Ling, yet I chose to reveal myself to you first. Is that not enough sincerity?”
Silence fell over the room.
After a moment, Zijin and Zipei looked at each other, recalling the youth’s melancholy during the day. They suddenly said in low voices: “Remember what you said. Otherwise—”
With that, they said no more. They turned back to their respective beds, lay down, and suddenly struck their own foreheads with their palms.
In an instant, their heads lolled to the side, and they fell into a deep unconsciousness—tonight, no matter what happened, they would know absolutely nothing.
…
“Big Brother Tang!”
The youth’s pleasantly surprised voice rang out. He had thought he wouldn’t be able to wait for him after all.
Tang Zhen lowered his eyes, a particularly gentle smile hanging on his lips. His fingertip, pressed against the space between the youth’s eyebrows, lightly smoothed out the frown.
But the youth didn’t care anymore. He scrambled up from the bed, his movements perhaps a bit too excited. He quickly realized he couldn’t alert Zijin and Zipei sleeping next door, so he immediately softened his movements.
The night was slightly cool, quiet, and deep.
Before the youth could seize the time to speak his plea and hand over the letter containing the intelligence, a slender finger was suddenly pressed against his slightly parted lips, accompanied by a soft “Shh.”
Then, under the youth’s slightly dazed gaze, Tang Zhen leaned down. Beside the youth’s pearly earlobe, he slowly whispered with a smile: “Why doesn’t A-Ling listen to Big Brother Tang first? Do you remember what I told you before? Do you want to know… the secret of your ‘Big Brother Ghost’?”
The youth froze. “What?”
He didn’t seem to understand why Big Brother Tang was suddenly bringing this up.
As his lips moved slightly against the finger still resting on them, Tang Zhen tilted his head slightly. From this close range, he could easily see those lips—soft, pink, and inviting, just like the subtle sensation against his finger.
Tang Zhen’s eyes darkened slightly. He took a proactive step back to create some distance, but his fingertip seemed to lose control for a moment, tracing the lip slightly before dropping away.
He then looked at the youth, whose curiosity and confusion had been piqued. The boy was leaning against the edge of the bed, his body tilted upward. From his slender, fair neck down to his snow-white inner robe—which was slightly open to reveal his exquisite collarbone—that splash of crimson pattern looked like a flower bud about to bloom, swaying with grace.
Tang Zhen’s gaze deepened. He suddenly reached out a finger and lightly tapped the crimson pattern. His cool finger touched that small patch of skin, and the youth flinched slightly as if startled.
“A-Ling, do you know what this is?”
The youth still seemed puzzled. Hearing this, he blinked and looked down slightly, seeing the “birthmark” he had been born with on his collarbone.
Yes, the naive Young Master Chu had always believed it was just a petal-shaped birthmark. Furthermore, Old Master Chu had never told him about his special nature.
Hearing Tang Zhen’s words, the youth reached out and pulled his collar down a bit further, completely exposing the “petal” to the air. It seemed connected to the position of his heart, rising and falling slowly with his breathing.
A faint hint of pink was dotted in the center like a stamen, enchanting and shy.
Yet, the youth’s eyes remained innocent and pure. As if he were doing something completely natural, his crow-feather lashes fluttered softly—pure, yet utterly seductive.
Tang Zhen felt his throat go dry and raspy. He repeated the question in a low voice, perhaps using it to suppress a certain urge that was stirring within him—now was not the time.
But once he took the youth away…
“A-Ling, do you know what this is?”
“Is it not a birthmark?” The youth tilted his head, his eyes lost.
Tang Zhen went silent for a moment and then laughed aloud. This inexplicable laughter made the confusion in the youth’s eyes deeper; he had no idea what Big Brother Tang was doing or why he was saying such strange things.
The youth shook his head, wanting to get back to the main topic. Time was tight; he had waited so long for Big Brother Tang, and he had to make every second count.
However, before he could speak, Big Brother Tang’s refined voice rang in his ear first. The voice still carried a clear hint of a smile, and he even mentioned the boy’s father.
“It seems Old Master Chu of Sword Casting Villa protected you very well.”
Tang Zhen had naturally investigated the youth’s background. He knew he was the youngest son of Old Master Chu, hidden away strictly since birth and rarely appearing in public.
Previously, one might have said it was because Old Master Chu doted on his youngest son and couldn’t bear to let him face the outside world. But looking at it now, it turned out a world-shaking secret was hidden there…
The young master of Sword Casting Villa was actually a Pure Yin Constitution, a rarity once in a thousand years!
Even though Tang Zhen was not a man of the martial arts world, he knew more or less about the uniqueness of the Pure Yin Constitution. It was the body of a “Human Furnace”; anyone who practiced dual cultivation with him would reach the Grandmaster or even the Innate Realm without any obstacles! He was a holy medicine for any martial artist!
Tang Zhen’s eyes flickered. At this moment, he finally understood why Ji Wuyuan valued the youth so much. Reflecting on Ji Wuyuan’s various actions toward the boy, he feared it wasn’t just “valuing” him.
But regardless of what Ji Wuyuan’s goals were—whether he wanted to keep the Pure Yin Constitution for himself or if he wanted to conquer the youth’s heart as well—now…
Tang Zhen curled his lips slightly, smiling with exceptional cunning.
He was taking over.
“A-Ling, has your Big Brother Ghost also seen this ‘birthmark’?”
The sudden question made the youth swallow his confusion. He thought for a moment and nodded: “At the time, Big Brother Ghost asked if it was natural. A birthmark is naturally born, of course.”
Tang Zhen understood and wasn’t surprised at all. He tilted his head to look again at the crimson petal over the youth’s heart. He reached out like a gentleman, slowly closing the open collar for him, covering the snow-white, tempting skin.
To his surprise, the youth spoke again: “Big Brother Ghost also said something about a Pure Yin Constitution… Big Brother Tang, what is a Pure Yin Constitution?”
Tang Zhen lowered his eyes, meeting the youth’s eyes that were full of a thirst for knowledge. The boy tilted his head up slightly, his unbundled black hair cascading down like a waterfall, several strands scattering over his chest and sliding through Tang Zhen’s fingertips.
Tang Zhen suddenly didn’t want to say it. This cruel truth, it was just…
He smiled refinedly, picking up a strand of hair from the youth’s chest, and said playfully: “Does A-Ling not have something to hand over to me? You called me here in such a hurry; let’s settle that first, and then I will tell you in detail… how about it?”
He had actually grown soft-hearted.
He couldn’t bear to see those eyes—bright as a galaxy—show a dim, sad, or even panicked expression after learning he had been deceived.
Seeing him finally bring up business, the youth’s eyes lit up. He could no longer care about anything else and hurried to turn around, pulling a letter from a hidden corner. He handed it to Tang Zhen carefully and instructed at a rapid pace: “I’ll have to trouble Big Brother Tang to make a trip. Please deliver this to Jun Yichen of the Martial Arts Alliance. It must reach his hands!”
As he said in the last sentence, the youth’s face was full of seriousness and gravity.
Tang Zhen flipped through the letter in his hand casually, looking a bit distracted. He said: “Is A-Ling not going to leave with me?”
The youth fell silent, his lips trembling, before he finally shook his head.
“I’m not in a hurry to leave. Staying here is quite good. Big Brother Ghost treats me very well too…”
However, before the words had even fully left his mouth, his palm was suddenly grasped by a large, warm hand. This was followed by the refined, jade-like face suddenly closing in, smiling at the youth.
“But I came here with the firm intention of taking A-Ling away with me. This matter is not up for negotiation.”
“Neither of you is leaving—”
Suddenly! A cold sentence, sounding as if it had come from the depths of a ten-thousand-year-old icy pool, exploded within the room!
Chapter 23
In the dead of night, Zijin, who was fast asleep, suddenly snapped his eyes open. His body sat bolt upright as he turned his head toward the door, his expression gradually becoming solemn.
Just as he was about to quietly get out of bed, he tilted his head and saw a figure sitting up on the other bed as well—it was his twin brother, Zipei.
The two made precise eye contact in the darkness. The latter gave the former a slight nod, indicating that he hadn’t misheard: someone had successfully infiltrated the area!
The intruder’s martial arts were exceptionally profound, far beyond what the two of them could handle, but—
The two clenched their teeth in secret, their eyes hidden by the night reflecting a fierce resolve. However, just as they were prepared to rush out of the room, ready to sacrifice their lives to protect the youth’s safety, a calm and gentle voice suddenly reached their ears.
“I am here at A-Ling’s own request. I presume you two have already noticed something was amiss, yet you didn’t report it to your master… Hehe.”
That familiar, refined voice chuckled softly, as if he had already seen through everything. Without waiting for a reaction, he continued: “You should know what to do next. This is what A-Ling hopes for. If you obstruct this scene, A-Ling will be heartbroken…”
These words left Zijin and Zipei stunned. Finally, they lowered their eyes and hissed at the voice through gritted teeth: “How can we be sure you won’t hurt the Young Master?”
The refined voice had predicted their concern perfectly, and the response came leisurely: “Rest assured, A-Ling and I are friends. I adore him more than anything; how could I bear to hurt him? Otherwise, I wouldn’t have risked discovery by breaking in here deep at night, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Moreover, I could have simply knocked you both unconscious to fulfill my promise to A-Ling, yet I chose to reveal myself to you first. Is that not enough sincerity?”
Silence fell over the room.
After a moment, Zijin and Zipei looked at each other, recalling the youth’s melancholy during the day. They suddenly said in low voices: “Remember what you said. Otherwise—”
With that, they said no more. They turned back to their respective beds, lay down, and suddenly struck their own foreheads with their palms.
In an instant, their heads lolled to the side, and they fell into a deep unconsciousness—tonight, no matter what happened, they would know absolutely nothing.
…
“Big Brother Tang!”
The youth’s pleasantly surprised voice rang out. He had thought he wouldn’t be able to wait for him after all.
Tang Zhen lowered his eyes, a particularly gentle smile hanging on his lips. His fingertip, pressed against the space between the youth’s eyebrows, lightly smoothed out the frown.
But the youth didn’t care anymore. He scrambled up from the bed, his movements perhaps a bit too excited. He quickly realized he couldn’t alert Zijin and Zipei sleeping next door, so he immediately softened his movements.
The night was slightly cool, quiet, and deep.
Before the youth could seize the time to speak his plea and hand over the letter containing the intelligence, a slender finger was suddenly pressed against his slightly parted lips, accompanied by a soft “Shh.”
Then, under the youth’s slightly dazed gaze, Tang Zhen leaned down. Beside the youth’s pearly earlobe, he slowly whispered with a smile: “Why doesn’t A-Ling listen to Big Brother Tang first? Do you remember what I told you before? Do you want to know… the secret of your ‘Big Brother Ghost’?”
The youth froze. “What?”
He didn’t seem to understand why Big Brother Tang was suddenly bringing this up.
As his lips moved slightly against the finger still resting on them, Tang Zhen tilted his head slightly. From this close range, he could easily see those lips—soft, pink, and inviting, just like the subtle sensation against his finger.
Tang Zhen’s eyes darkened slightly. He took a proactive step back to create some distance, but his fingertip seemed to lose control for a moment, tracing the lip slightly before dropping away.
He then looked at the youth, whose curiosity and confusion had been piqued. The boy was leaning against the edge of the bed, his body tilted upward. From his slender, fair neck down to his snow-white inner robe—which was slightly open to reveal his exquisite collarbone—that splash of crimson pattern looked like a flower bud about to bloom, swaying with grace.
Tang Zhen’s gaze deepened. He suddenly reached out a finger and lightly tapped the crimson pattern. His cool finger touched that small patch of skin, and the youth flinched slightly as if startled.
“A-Ling, do you know what this is?”
The youth still seemed puzzled. Hearing this, he blinked and looked down slightly, seeing the “birthmark” he had been born with on his collarbone.
Yes, the naive Young Master Chu had always believed it was just a petal-shaped birthmark. Furthermore, Old Master Chu had never told him about his special nature.
Hearing Tang Zhen’s words, the youth reached out and pulled his collar down a bit further, completely exposing the “petal” to the air. It seemed connected to the position of his heart, rising and falling slowly with his breathing.
A faint hint of pink was dotted in the center like a stamen, enchanting and shy.
Yet, the youth’s eyes remained innocent and pure. As if he were doing something completely natural, his crow-feather lashes fluttered softly—pure, yet utterly seductive.
Tang Zhen felt his throat go dry and raspy. He repeated the question in a low voice, perhaps using it to suppress a certain urge that was stirring within him—now was not the time.
But once he took the youth away…
“A-Ling, do you know what this is?”
“Is it not a birthmark?” The youth tilted his head, his eyes lost.
Tang Zhen went silent for a moment and then laughed aloud. This inexplicable laughter made the confusion in the youth’s eyes deeper; he had no idea what Big Brother Tang was doing or why he was saying such strange things.
The youth shook his head, wanting to get back to the main topic. Time was tight; he had waited so long for Big Brother Tang, and he had to make every second count.
However, before he could speak, Big Brother Tang’s refined voice rang in his ear first. The voice still carried a clear hint of a smile, and he even mentioned the boy’s father.
“It seems Old Master Chu of Sword Casting Villa protected you very well.”
Tang Zhen had naturally investigated the youth’s background. He knew he was the youngest son of Old Master Chu, hidden away strictly since birth and rarely appearing in public.
Previously, one might have said it was because Old Master Chu doted on his youngest son and couldn’t bear to let him face the outside world. But looking at it now, it turned out a world-shaking secret was hidden there…
The young master of Sword Casting Villa was actually a Pure Yin Constitution, a rarity once in a thousand years!
Even though Tang Zhen was not a man of the martial arts world, he knew more or less about the uniqueness of the Pure Yin Constitution. It was the body of a “Human Furnace”; anyone who practiced dual cultivation with him would reach the Grandmaster or even the Innate Realm without any obstacles! He was a holy medicine for any martial artist!
Tang Zhen’s eyes flickered. At this moment, he finally understood why Ji Wuyuan valued the youth so much. Reflecting on Ji Wuyuan’s various actions toward the boy, he feared it wasn’t just “valuing” him.
But regardless of what Ji Wuyuan’s goals were—whether he wanted to keep the Pure Yin Constitution for himself or if he wanted to conquer the youth’s heart as well—now…
Tang Zhen curled his lips slightly, smiling with exceptional cunning.
He was taking over.
“A-Ling, has your Big Brother Ghost also seen this ‘birthmark’?”
The sudden question made the youth swallow his confusion. He thought for a moment and nodded: “At the time, Big Brother Ghost asked if it was natural. A birthmark is naturally born, of course.”
Tang Zhen understood and wasn’t surprised at all. He tilted his head to look again at the crimson petal over the youth’s heart. He reached out like a gentleman, slowly closing the open collar for him, covering the snow-white, tempting skin.
To his surprise, the youth spoke again: “Big Brother Ghost also said something about a Pure Yin Constitution… Big Brother Tang, what is a Pure Yin Constitution?”
Tang Zhen lowered his eyes, meeting the youth’s eyes that were full of a thirst for knowledge. The boy tilted his head up slightly, his unbundled black hair cascading down like a waterfall, several strands scattering over his chest and sliding through Tang Zhen’s fingertips.
Tang Zhen suddenly didn’t want to say it. This cruel truth, it was just…
He smiled refinedly, picking up a strand of hair from the youth’s chest, and said playfully: “Does A-Ling not have something to hand over to me? You called me here in such a hurry; let’s settle that first, and then I will tell you in detail… how about it?”
He had actually grown soft-hearted.
He couldn’t bear to see those eyes—bright as a galaxy—show a dim, sad, or even panicked expression after learning he had been deceived.
Seeing him finally bring up business, the youth’s eyes lit up. He could no longer care about anything else and hurried to turn around, pulling a letter from a hidden corner. He handed it to Tang Zhen carefully and instructed at a rapid pace: “I’ll have to trouble Big Brother Tang to make a trip. Please deliver this to Jun Yichen of the Martial Arts Alliance. It must reach his hands!”
As he said in the last sentence, the youth’s face was full of seriousness and gravity.
Tang Zhen flipped through the letter in his hand casually, looking a bit distracted. He said: “Is A-Ling not going to leave with me?”
The youth fell silent, his lips trembling, before he finally shook his head.
“I’m not in a hurry to leave. Staying here is quite good. Big Brother Ghost treats me very well too…”
However, before the words had even fully left his mouth, his palm was suddenly grasped by a large, warm hand. This was followed by the refined, jade-like face suddenly closing in, smiling at the youth.
“But I came here with the firm intention of taking A-Ling away with me. This matter is not up for negotiation.”
“Neither of you is leaving—”
Suddenly! A cold sentence, sounding as if it had come from the depths of a ten-thousand-year-old icy pool, exploded within the room!