Back in those years at the foot of the mountain, Yin Xuanlin had truly lived a life steeped in hardship.
Hunger and cold plagued him; he drifted from place to place, with no home to return to…
Fortunately, as the saying goes, “thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west”, fortune, in the end, cast him a glance of favor.
He was chosen by the Tangdi Immortal Sect and when tested, he was found to possess an extremely rare, once in a century supreme fire spiritual root. In that instant, his entire life turned upside down!
A beggar orphan transformed, in the blink of an eye, into a prodigious genius admired by all within the cultivation world. He now had access to heavenly treasures; he could learn spells and proper etiquette; he wore fine clothes and ate exquisite meals; he lived in a proper house.
There were even people who fawned over him, bringing gifts. He had followers now, younger disciples who looked up to him!
Everything that had once been utterly out of reach was now his for the taking.
Life truly seemed full of promise.
And yet, Yin Xuanlin had known hunger too well.
He feared, deep down, that he might lose it all and fall back into the wretched life he once endured. Because of that, he cultivated tirelessly day and night, never daring to slack off in the slightest. Fortunately, with such talent combined with relentless effort, he quickly distinguished himself among his fellow disciples. Across the entire sect, no one could surpass him in study or skill!
It seemed that a future filled with brilliance and boundless glory was right within reach. Some even declared that within twenty years, he would surely possess the qualifications to become sect leader, perhaps even go on to command the righteous path itself!
But just as everything was flourishing,
Out of nowhere, news broke of a junior disciple even more formidable than him, one who possessed a thousand year fire spiritual root???
Damn it, damn it! Damn it! Damn it!!!
Yin Xuanlin refused to accept it.
Yin Xuanlin’s jealousy twisted him.
Yin Xuanlin darkened, warped and contorted.
Yin Xuanlin crawled all over the ground in frustration.
Was this even reasonable?!
They had said he was a once in a century genius, so shouldn’t that mean no one within that century could rival him???
And now a once in a thousand years prodigy appeared, what kind of logic was that!
Thus, while the entire sect scrambled to curry favor with the newly arrived junior disciple, Yin Xuanlin stubbornly lifted his chin and refused to go.
What would he even go for?!
To twist and contort himself and, in front of everyone, finish the guy off?!
And yet, the more he delayed, the more he found himself unable to sleep night after night.
In the end, with no other choice, on a pitch dark, windy night, the perfect time for murder and arson, he went, dark circles under his eyes, holding his breath as he sneaked off to take a look!
Yin Xuanlin went in a state of near mad obsession.
But he came back dazed, lightheaded, as if floating on air.
Hehe… the new little junior brother… is really cute.
Back in his room, Yin Xuanlin threw himself headfirst into the soft bedding and rolled around several times with a muffled “gulu gulu.”
The little junior brother was two years younger than him; his bone structure had yet to fully mature, though his brows and eyes already hinted at a cool, distant elegance yet his skin remained as delicate as carved jade, fair and flawless.
Those black pupils were even more captivating, like ink jade submerged in a cold, deep pool, crystal clear yet unfathomably profound. With just a single glance, one found it impossible to look away.
In short, before Yin Xuanlin had ever met Xie Chen in person, he had heard day after day how astonishingly talented and peerless this new junior brother was and every time he heard it, he had been filled with disdain, defiance and resentment.
And the result, damn it.
He had clearly made that trip on purpose, going there with nothing but the mindset of picking faults and stirring up trouble.
He had been convinced it would amount to nothing much yet when he truly hid within the shadowy grove and caught sight of that white robed youth standing quietly beneath the blazing red maple trees, the moonlight and the fiery hues of autumn intertwined, all of it falling upon that single figure.
It was as though all the spiritual grace of heaven and earth had gathered in that moment, forming a peerless painting of unmatched beauty.
Good heavens.
All he could hear was his own heartbeat, pounding wildly, thump, thump, so loud it seemed ready to burst through his ears!
And so, just like that, he failed to find any fault at all. Without a sound, like a defeated rooster, he slunk away in dejection.
Even in his dreams that night, all he saw were swaying flashes of maple red and those cold, piercing black eyes.
How irritating.
Even more irritating was the fact that the next morning, when he looked at himself in the mirror, he discovered that his gaze had become clear, his expression even carrying a strange hint of innocence.
Where was the slightest trace of his usual overbearing arrogance, of that vicious demeanor that only ever twisted into a feral sneer when he smiled?
What should a good senior brother be like?
Yin Xuanlin did not know.
But for a first proper meeting, one’s appearance could not be taken lightly.
Yin Xuanlin had always been confident in his own striking looks yet for some reason, when he examined himself in the mirror today, he felt unbearably plain, like a plucked country chicken.
In a flurry, he rummaged through trunks and cabinets, dragging out every piece of gold and silver jewelry, every expensive robe he owned.
He tried them on one by one but the figure in the mirror still gave off an air of forced effort, an ordinaryness that could not be concealed.
What was going on today?
Wasn’t he usually quite handsome and dashing?
Left with no other choice, he finally brought out the treasured set he had kept hidden away, the cloud patterned silver thread ceremonial robe. The most expensive, the finest, the most dazzling piece he possessed. Surely this would be enough to command attention?
After much effort, he was finally fully dressed.
Yin Xuanlin then stood before the mirror, practicing a carefree, unrestrained smile.
The reflection in the bronze mirror, however, looked stiff and distorted.
Damn it.
Damn it!
Though he was utterly dissatisfied with his appearance, the appointed time had arrived and he could only steel himself and step out.
Fortunately, along the way, he encountered a group of fellow disciples from the sect.
Compared to them, he was far superior!
At last, Yin Xuanlin regained a bit of confidence.
By the time he reached the main hall, his confidence had swelled even further, when people are compared, one feels the difference; when goods are compared, the inferior ones are cast aside. Though he himself might not be at his best today, within the entire sect, there was still no one who could rival him!
With these people as contrast, how could he not be the most eye catching one in his junior brother’s eyes?
However,
The little junior brother did not look at him at all.
The confidence Yin Xuanlin had just built up instantly vanished once more.
He even took the initiative to extend a hand in goodwill yet the other party avoided it without leaving a trace.
Infuriating. Infuriating. Infuriating. Infuriating. Infuriating.
Unappreciative. Unappreciative. Unappreciative. Unappreciative. Unappreciative.
Could it be that the little junior brother looked down on him?
Was it because a thousand year fire spiritual root disdained a mere hundred year aptitude, or because of his humble origins, that he was unworthy to associate with disciples born of the noble and prestigious families of Xianyue?
But he… but he had, on the left side of his butt, a birthmark shaped like a sycee!
For all anyone knew, he might actually be some young master from a great and powerful family, lost and cast adrift in the world!
D.. don’t look down on people!
Yin Xuanlin, having been treated coldly by his junior brother, was naturally unhappy.
If this had been anyone else, he would have long since turned hostile.
Utterly ungrateful!
But the little junior brother had only just arrived, unfamiliar with the place and its people. Moreover, that face, so delicate, so innocent and those clear, pristine eyes made it impossible to be truly harsh.
So… he would endure it once. Just this once.
He would continue to be a good senior brother. After all, respecting the old and caring for the young was a fine tradition of the Tangdi Immortal Sect.
But what, exactly, did it mean to be a good senior brother?
Yin Xuanlin had no experience whatsoever. Fortunately, within the sect, there were indeed a few senior brothers and sisters who were widely praised for their warmth, kindness and fraternal spirit.
Yin Xuanlin observed them in secret and studied quietly for several days.
Mm, he understood!
The Great Dao is simple.
In short, it just meant treating his junior brother well, right?
Thus, Yin Xuanlin began to shower him with gifts.
Spiritual medicines, magical artifacts, give, give, give! Cultivation insights, teach, teach, teach!
He gathered wild spiritual mushrooms from the mountains to stew into nourishing soups for his junior brother. The immortal lotus in the Tianmen lotus pond was beautiful, he even tricked it over and planted it for his junior brother!
He refused to believe it.
Yes, of course Yin Xuanlin knew that there were always people constantly speaking ill of him in front of the little junior brother.
But he believed that if he and those people were placed side by side, as long as the little junior brother wasn’t blind, he would certainly be able to tell at a glance who was good and who was bad!
Hard work pays off.
Half a year passed. Though the little junior brother remained as taciturn as ever, under Yin Xuanlin’s tireless, wholehearted efforts,
The little junior brother… finally allowed him to touch him!
Although, when he sneakily lifted him up into the air, the little junior brother had been stiff the entire time.
But no resistance meant victory.
As for the complicated, hesitant expressions on the faces of the surrounding onlookers when they witnessed his actions, hmph, Yin Xuanlin truly wanted to rush over and flaunt it right in their faces.
What, you can’t even handle this?
Then you probably don’t even know that, in private, I’ve pinched my junior brother’s soft, squishy cheeks before, do you?
That texture,
It’s as tender as a freshly steamed peach blossom bun, the kind that leaves a faint blush of pink the moment you press it.
And you definitely don’t know just how adorable he looks when he’s eating mushroom hotpot, both cheeks puffed up, do you? Nor do you know how strikingly cold and beautiful he appears when he wears the outfits I carefully selected for him.
You know nothing.
There’s far more that you don’t know!!!
What you know even less is just how delightful it is to venture into secret realms together with my little junior brother!
Yin Xuanlin had waited a full half a year for this.
He had fed him countless spiritual medicines and delicacies, taught him fire based cultivation techniques without holding anything back and finally helped his junior brother’s cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, breaking through the White Crystal and Yellow grade secret realms in succession and stepping in one stroke into the Green Crystal secret realm, a place only elite disciples were qualified to enter.
At last.
He could happily fight side by side with his junior brother in the Green Crystal secret realm!
However, as the ancients said, a proud army is bound to be defeated and extreme joy begets sorrow.
With Yin Xuanlin’s level of cultivation, he would normally move through the Green Crystal secret realm with absolute ease, unchallenged.
But on the very day he entered the realm together with his junior brother, eager to display the boundless glory of a senior brother in front of him, he made a single misstep, stumbling disastrously at the worst possible moment. His high level fire technique hadn’t even had the chance to be unleashed…
Instead, he plunged straight into a trap filled with blood sucking demon vines!
Those demon vines coiled around his limbs in an instant, like venomous snakes. The more he struggled, the tighter they bound him. Yin Xuanlin was so furious he nearly spat blood, his painstakingly cultivated, brilliant image in front of his junior brother! Completely ruined.
He was unwilling to accept it. He wanted to scream, wanted to crawl darkly across the ground right then and there!
Couldn’t he just be impressive for once? Why was heaven so unfair to him?
And then, in the very next moment,
“Senior Brother Xuanlin!”
A distinctly anxious yet cool and clear voice cut through the air. Immediately afterward, he was shielded by a gentle yet firm force and then he fell into a warm, faintly fragrant embrace, held tightly.
The little junior brother’s face, already showing the first hints of elegance, refined and striking, was suddenly right before his eyes.
His brows were slightly furrowed, his expression more serious than ever before, as he swung his sword with all his might to slash through the rampant demon vines, all the while holding him securely within his arms.
Almost in that instant, Yin Xuanlin was no longer dark and brooding.
At that time, his little junior brother had not yet fully grown, still a little shorter than him, soft and faintly scented yet he was trying so desperately, risking everything to protect him.
Thump, thump. Thump, thump.
Quietly, he reached out and wrapped his arms around his junior brother’s waist.
The scent on his junior brother’s body was clearly the sweetness of pastries yet it was mixed with a cool, solemn trace of burning incense.
“Senior Brother, you’re not hurt, are you?”
Of course not.
Damn it.
He had only been careless for a moment, those blood vines couldn’t truly harm him but as if possessed by some inexplicable impulse, Yin Xuanlin suddenly let his body go slack, weakly leaning into Xie Chen’s,
Hearing this, the little junior brother grew even more flustered and immediately wrapped an arm around him from behind. “Senior Brother, are you feeling any better? Quick, take this spiritual medicine! How is it now?”
“I… I’m still… a little dizzy.”
At that moment, Yin Xuanlin could only resent the fact that the threshold for entering the Green Crystal secret realm was too high, those people outside couldn’t get in and thus couldn’t witness this scene.
If that group could see this, let’s see who would still dare to say that it was all one sided on his part, that his junior brother couldn’t be bothered with him?!
His junior brother clearly cared about him.
Holding him so tightly, constantly checking his wrist for injuries that barely even existed, so visibly anxious.
His junior brother was simply reserved by nature, not indifferent!
If this didn’t count as caring, then what did?
Around them, the demon vines still writhed and lashed wildly, spraying venomous blood but as Yin Xuanlin thought this, he actually let out a quiet laugh, lost in his own thoughts.
That sound seemed to startle his junior brother.
He froze for a moment, those dark pupils fixed steadily on him.
In the end, the two of them worked together in perfect unspoken harmony, cutting down all the demon vines.
Though both of them sustained minor injuries, Yin Xuanlin immediately dragged him back to a small courtyard, preparing all kinds of delicious dishes to properly nourish him.
During the meal, he secretly and carefully observed his junior brother once more.
His junior brother truly had very few expressions.
Even when eating food that was clearly to his liking, he still appeared almost indifferent, maintaining that cool, detached demeanor.
Only by watching very, very closely could one catch the faint glimmer of brightness in his eyes and the extremely subtle, nearly imperceptible trace of satisfaction.
So that was how it was.
So he really did like it, he just didn’t show it clearly!
That night, Yin Xuanlin burrowed into his bed, wriggling around like a squirming larva. Hugging his blanket, he endlessly savored the feeling of having held his junior brother’s waist during the day.
He was so looking forward to the next time they would enter a secret realm together
✦ ✧ ✦
Fleurveil
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
You clicked all the way to the end. That deserves one final button press. ☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Once a chosen one of heavenChapter 2 · Why didn’t you crawl in the shadows?!Chapter 3 · They would rather fight each otherChapter 4 · I’ll do a handstand and run naked three times!Chapter 5 · So what if I’m showing off!Chapter 6 · If you look again, I’ll gouge your eyes out!Chapter 7 · The young couple is fighting again.Chapter 8 · I’m back at the Jinchan SectChapter 9 · Sour, sourChapter 10 · To seize credit for someone’s workChapter 11 · The Golden Toad Sect has come to our aid to annihilate the Demon LordChapter 12 · Sect Leader’s HusbandChapter 13 · The stone, fox, tree, and scarecrow are named XuanlinChapter 14 · My junior and I have had sweet moments in private!Chapter 15 · The truth behind their first falling out back thenChapter 16 · Hate lasts longer than loveChapter 17 · Xie Chen was actually the Demon LordChapter 18 · Slaying the Demon LordChapter 19 · From resistance to enjoymentChapter 20 · Xiao Xie’s perspective begins!Chapter 21 · Only because it was Yin XuanlinChapter 22 · Xie Chen was not a foolChapter 23 · The End