Chapter 100: Penglai Has an Immortal Island (10)
Did Yan Jingqiu think that just because he had changed his clothes, Bai Chunsheng would not recognize him?!
If Bai Chunsheng had been in his original form, all the fur on his body would probably have bristled and exploded from anger.
How dared Yan Jingqiu!
Had it been amusing for him to deliberately toy with him all these days? He had made Bai Chunsheng so miserable that he could not eat and could not sleep, believing that Yan Jingqiu had died because of him.
And in the end, it had all been Bo Yan lying to him.
Thinking back to the secret history the Penglai Island cultivator had told him in the dream just now, everything made sense. No wonder he was the Golden Dragon Lord of the Water Abyss Realm.
If Yan Jingqiu was Bo Yan, then Yan Yi had also been Bo Yan. This man had simply changed identities and run circles around him under different disguises.
So everyone else had known—everyone except him. He had nearly failed to recognize him.
Bai Chunsheng picked up his sword and walked straight toward Bo Yan.
Bo Yan was still looking at him with a troubled expression. In his eyes, Bai Chunsheng had merely gone from being ten parts angry to twenty parts angry.
Fortunately, Bai Chunsheng felt angry every day whenever he saw him, so Bo Yan could not tell the difference.
Bo Yan even added fuel to the fire. “Why did you love Yan Jingqiu so much? In what way was I inferior to him?”
“?”
Bai Chunsheng exploded. “Stop flattering yourself. Who would ever like you? You’re coming back with me to be beaten!”
Bo Yan: “…”
Bo Yan hesitated before asking, “Why are you talking to me like this?”
Bai Chunsheng spat, “Drop the act.”
From Bai Chunsheng’s abnormal behavior, Bo Yan sensed something was off. So he allowed Bai Chunsheng to approach, then gave him a cold, sweeping look from head to toe.
Bai Chunsheng’s gaze lingered longest on the mask covering Bo Yan’s face. He sneered sarcastically, “That mask looks quite nice.”
There was no need for further confirmation. He was one hundred percent certain—this man was Yan Jingqiu. Even if he turned to ashes, Bai Chunsheng would recognize him.
What infuriated him most was that he had trusted Yan Yi so much, never suspecting he had been full of schemes.
After saying that, Bai Chunsheng walked up to Bo Yan, his face dark with anger.
Even the best-tempered person would be angry upon discovering they had been deceived. Bai Chunsheng raised his hand, intending to slap Bo Yan or punch him. But then he remembered the afternoon when Bo Yan had tricked him into believing Yan Yi had died, and the scene he had dreamed of in the Lutai Secret Realm.
—When he had been driven into a corner back then and slapped Yan Jingqiu, he would consider that slap as coming from this moment instead.
Now, he owed Yan Jingqiu nothing.
That was how Bai Chunsheng thought of it.
Besides, this was still Penglai Island territory. Who knew whether that cultivator from the peach blossom dream had truly gone far away?
If someone saw him make a spectacle of himself, he would be too embarrassed.
But he had no intention of letting Bo Yan off so easily. He would drag him back to their residence and properly scold him there.
So Bai Chunsheng grabbed Bo Yan by the collar and pulled him along.
Bo Yan had no idea why Bai Chunsheng had suddenly become so bold. His only guess was that Bai Chunsheng had not sobered up from drinking and was playing around with him. So he obediently let himself be dragged along, though he found it strange—one moment Bai Chunsheng was docile and obedient, the next he was unreasonable and unpredictable.
Clearly, Bai Chunsheng had tried to run away, and he had come to capture him. Yet Bai Chunsheng now acted as though he were the victim holding the upper hand.
Watching Bai Chunsheng stomp along angrily, Bo Yan found it rather amusing and could not help but laugh.
In the quiet of the deep night, aside from their footsteps, Bo Yan’s laugh sounded especially abrupt. Bai Chunsheng turned back with a stern face and scolded, “What are you laughing at? Have you no shame?”
Bo Yan teased him, “Why should I feel ashamed? I wasn’t the one who ran away, little thing. How are you the one acting righteous now?”
He bent his finger and brushed it against Bai Chunsheng’s cheek.
Bai Chunsheng was furious. “You’re the little thing. I didn’t run away.”
“I’m still angry,” Bai Chunsheng said. “Stop talking to me!” He was afraid that if he kept talking to Bo Yan, his anger at discovering Yan Jingqiu had deceived him would slowly be worn away.
Seeing him like this only made Bo Yan want to tease him more. He truly believed Bai Chunsheng was still drunk and muddled. Thinking back to earlier, when he had carried Bai Chunsheng back to the palace to rest, and Bai Chunsheng had obediently asked him to stick pretty feathers onto him, Bo Yan felt his heart itch unbearably. “Don’t pull my collar, little Demon King. Why don’t you hold my hand instead?”
“Bah.” Bai Chunsheng said, “Shameless. Stop making things up just to talk.”
Only after replying did Bai Chunsheng realize that Bo Yan seemed not to have noticed that he had already recognized him as Yan Jingqiu.
His not-very-clever little brain began to turn, and as he walked, he came up with what he believed to be a brilliant plan.
—Having been deceived by Yan Jingqiu, he had to win back his dignity.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
Since Bo Yan had tricked him, he would trick him back the same way.
Hadn’t he lied and said Yan Yi was dead?
Then Bai Chunsheng would wait until Bo Yan fell in love with him, and then lie that Bai Chunsheng had died. When Bo Yan was heartbroken and devastated, he would jump out and mock him mercilessly.
Just thinking about it made Bai Chunsheng feel delighted.
No matter what, the fact that Yan Jingqiu was still alive was good news for Bai Chunsheng—even if he was unwilling to admit it too openly.
The delight even made him suddenly feel hungry. He wanted to eat the green mandarin fish from the Void Realm. After all, he had barely eaten these past few days.
But now was not the time for fish. Bai Chunsheng lowered his head and walked according to memory.
Being lost in a dream and being lost in reality were quite different. After leaving the peach grove, the road ahead led toward the birthday banquet venue. Walking in the opposite direction for about the time it took to burn one stick of incense, he arrived at the guest palace Penglai Island had prepared for visitors.
Bai Chunsheng let go and leapt into his bamboo cottage.
The people inside had not even realized he had been gone. Upon seeing him return, the paper puppet in the room deflated like leaking air and collapsed into a thin sheet of paper on the floor. Bai Chunsheng retrieved the paper puppet and saw that the maidservants, along with Yi Zhou, all wore frightened expressions. He felt somewhat guilty. “You may withdraw. Leave only your Lord and me.”
He did not dislike Shen Yuying and Shen Qing as much now. They had merely obeyed Bo Yan, the mastermind behind everything. The real culprit was Bo Yan, and Bai Chunsheng intended to settle the score with him bit by bit.
Once only the two of them remained, Bai Chunsheng sat on the bed. “When… are we getting married?”
Even saying the word felt strange to him.
Bo Yan replied, “Immortal Miaoyan told me to discuss it tomorrow. He is old and was tired.”
“I saw how lifeless he looked. I’m afraid he may not live many more days. What a waste of the auspicious date of March sixth.”
For some reason, Bai Chunsheng’s heart skipped a beat.
Bo Yan asked again, “I saw you in the peach grove. It seemed you had something to say to me. What was it?”
“Oh.” Bai Chunsheng came up with another idea. “Kiss me.”
Bo Yan: “Ah?”
Bai Chunsheng looked up at him. His long, thick lashes cast an ambiguous shadow over his bright, dark eyes. Even without receiving an answer, Bo Yan seemed bewitched and leaned closer—little by little. Bai Chunsheng’s lips were dry yet soft, and he still carried the refreshing fragrance of the peach blossom grove.
It was only a brief touch before Bai Chunsheng pushed him away. Bo Yan had not even recovered his senses.
With smug satisfaction, Bai Chunsheng wiped his lips with the back of his hand in front of him. “Alright. You may leave. I’m going to rest.”
“Why?” Bo Yan could not help asking.
“Why does there need to be a reason?” Bai Chunsheng replied.
Teasing Bo Yan put him in an excellent mood. He lifted the blanket and quickly burrowed inside, delighted at having toyed with him.
After only a few breaths, Bo Yan heard Bai Chunsheng giggling secretly beneath the covers.
Bo Yan: “…”
Noticing Bo Yan had not left, Bai Chunsheng stuck a hand out from under the blanket and waved impatiently. “Why are you still here? Go on, leave.”
Bai Chunsheng said: “Tonight, I’m sleeping alone.”
Author’s Note:
Bo Yan: “What about tomorrow?”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
