As the young man spoke up, the entire crowd turned their gazes toward Yun Qingzhou.
After a long moment, the Buddhist cultivator slowly raised his head, revealing a breathtakingly stunning face.
In their eyes, the youth’s glistening, water-like eyes were as clear as the trickling snowmelt atop Mount Kunlun.
His nose was straight and sculpted like distant verdant mountains, and his moderately full lips were somewhat pale in color. His temperament was even more understated and elegant than the green bamboo in the mountains, carrying a subtle, almost unnoticeable sense of compassion for all living beings.
In an instant, everyone present looked somewhat dazed. A figure so handsome that he seemed to be a meticulous creation of the heavens was actually a monk who knew nothing of sensual desires, a tragic waste, yet somehow strangely fitting.
Seeing everyone mesmerized like this made the handsome young man feel a sense of triumph, though he had to admit that even after looking at this face many times, it still left him deeply shaken.
Han Yujiu originally had little interest in the Buddhist cultivator’s appearance, self-indulgently drinking his wine. But when he casually raised his eyes and caught a glimpse of the man’s face, his heart instantly tightened in disbelief.
It was so similar.
It looked completely like the image in his imagination of Xiao Zhou grown up.
But…
The scene that replayed every single day, where Xiao Zhou shielded him beneath his body and was beaten to death alive, cycled through Han Yujiu’s mind once again.
The man’s eyes turned blood-red as he stared dead at the youth before him. The intense emotions surging within his chest were so searing and bitter that he could barely breathe.
It was fake; it was fake. That person had been dead for many years!
But what if it was real?
The wine cup in the Demon Venerable’s hand was crushed into pieces, blood flowing from the gaps between his fingers as his entire body trembled.
“It’s absolutely exquisite! It’s just a pity he has no hair.” The young man tutted twice, seeming both amazed and regretful.
What the hell are you regretting, huh? What’s wrong with having no hair? Did I eat your rice or something? Believe it or not, I’ll bite you!
On the surface, Yun Qingzhou calmly accepted everyone’s scrutiny, but the inner chibi inside his heart had been ignited like a firecracker by those words.
The System got a headache from Yun Qingzhou’s mental commotion and hurriedly said:
【Zhou, calm down!】 (Meme: Return my child’s brain.jpg)
‘You dog System, send another emoji and see if I don’t bite you!’ Yun Qingzhou bared his teeth.
It’s over, this child has completely gone insane. I, as his father, am so miserable, sob.
The System raised its delicate pinky finger and silently wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of its eyes.
“What is your name?” A low, husky, and sexy male voice entered his ears, snapping Yun Qingzhou out of his slight daze.
Only then did the youth realize that it was the Demon Venerable sitting in the high seat who was inquiring. The eyes looking at him contained emotions he could not decipher.
Yun Qingzhou calmly looked at Han Yujiu. With his bound hands, he squeezed them together with effort to form a palm-press gesture, then raised them to his chest and bowed his head toward the man:
“This humble monk’s Buddhist name is Xuanzhen.”
The youth’s voice was like a cool mountain breeze: gentle, refreshing, and deeply soothing, giving people a sense of being purified.
Seeing that the Demon Venerable had taken an interest in this monk, the crowd looked at the two with knowing smiles.
Even his eyes were so similar, just as gentle and serene as back then, always giving others a sense of peace whenever they stayed by his side. Now, there was merely a bit more compassion and restraint.
Han Yujiu stared blankly at Yun Qingzhou. In the very next second, he wanted nothing more than to tie the person to his side and demand to know whether it was truly him who had returned.
Thinking it meant doing it. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Yun Qingzhou was swept up by an invisible pull and brought straight to Han Yujiu’s side.
In an instant, both of their figures vanished from everyone’s sight.
The group of people was left thunderstruck. They had never expected that when the Demon Venerable, that iron tree, finally blossomed, he would be so impatient and eager.
In their hearts, they silently broke into a cold sweat for that peerlessly beautiful monk. It seemed that tonight, that youth was going to have a rough time.
Han Yujiu’s departure did not affect the crowd’s gathering. Everyone continued eating and drinking as before, each now holding one of the beauties sent over earlier in their arms, enjoying themselves immensely.
In the blink of an eye, Yun Qingzhou was dragged by the rope on his hands and brought by Han Yujiu into a brightly lit palace.
Gilded glass lanterns hung from the ceiling, surrounded by red sandalwood pillars carved with flying dragons and dancing phoenixes, making it exceptionally low-key yet extraordinarily luxurious.
“Where has Benefactor brought this humble monk?”
Yun Qingzhou offered a flawless, perfectly composed smile, though there was not a trace of warmth in his eyes.
Yun Qingzhou believed his acting skills were spot on; to outsiders, his smile looked polite and sincere.
Han Yujiu rubbed his fingertips in irritation. The words reached the tip of his tongue, yet he dared not speak them, terrified that all his previous hopes were merely his own delusions.
Unable to ask that question for the time being, he could only answer Yun Qingzhou’s query: “This is my imperial bedchamber.”
‘System! What do I do?! Don’t tell me the male lead has ideas about me the second we meet?!’
The inner chibi in Yun Qingzhou’s heart frantically shook the System by its shoulders, dizzying the cluster of data.
【Zhou, calm down first and observe how things develop.】 The System spoke weakly.
‘You don’t love me anymore, do you? If your host really gets eaten up completely, who are you gonna cry to?’ Yun Qingzhou acted overly dramatic.
【I don’t know if I’ll cry or not, but you might be made to cry in a moment~】 (Meme: Consort Hua rolling her eyes.jpg)
Yun Qingzhou was confused; Yun Qingzhou pondered; Yun Qingzhou realized; Yun Qingzhou grew angry; Yun Qingzhou ultimately couldn’t refute it and could only wildly spit blood in frustration.
To Han Yujiu, this exchange only looked as though the monk before him had spaced out for a brief moment, so he didn’t pay it any mind.
“What was your original name?” Han Yujiu was somewhat nervous, his eyes fixed on Yun Qingzhou with extreme earnestness.
The youth froze for a moment, looking a bit bewildered: “This humble monk has always been named Xuanzhen.”
A flicker of panic crossed the depths of Han Yujiu’s eyes. He placed both hands on Yun Qingzhou’s shoulders, gripping them tightly enough to cause Yun Qingzhou a bit of pain.
Han Yujiu leaned in very close, and only then did Yun Qingzhou realize that the male lead’s looks were truly beyond reproach, a striking beauty that blurred gender lines without being effeminate, but rather exquisitely alluring.
“You’re lying to me, aren’t you? Xiao Zhou?” Han Yujiu grew anxious, his moist eyes looking as though tears were on the verge of spilling out.
Yun Qingzhou wriggled his body, wanting to dodge Han Yujiu’s hands, only to find that he couldn’t move an inch: “This humble monk does not understand what Benefactor is talking about.”
Han Yujiu desperately craved for the other person to say yes, yet he found that the youth, who was half a head shorter than him, genuinely seemed not to know him at all.
As if dealing a heavy blow, he released Yun Qingzhou and stumbled back two steps, muttering continuously, “I don’t believe it.”
‘System, why do I feel like the male lead has gone mad?’ Yun Qingzhou swallowed his saliva, timidly developing an urge to flee.
【Sigh, it’s precisely because the male lead is on the verge of madness that these worlds are collapsing! Zhou, wanting to get out unscathed? That’s gonna be tough!】 (Meme: Xiong Er sighing.jpg)
“Benefactor, are you alright?” Yun Qingzhou walked toward Han Yujiu with some concern, but was stopped by the man raising his hand in mid-air.
The man covered his face with his slender, fair hand, perhaps unwilling to let the person before him see his terrifying expression. He said in a muffled voice:
“It doesn’t matter. Since Xiao Zhou has forgotten, we will just take it slowly… take it slowly.”
Yun Qingzhou let out a soft sigh and gave an okay. He felt that this phrase ‘take it slowly’ sounded more like Han Yujiu saying it to himself.