Chapter 31: The Spirit Fish Enters the Dream (1)
The clever idea Bai Chunsheng came up with was certainly not to storm the Yusheng Sect and seize their treasures. If that were the case, he wouldn’t be wasting time here now.
Instead, he planned to use a simple trick—a spell to create an illusion. He would conjure a nonexistent culprit to take the blame for the crime.
It was enough to create a decoy that could scare them off; Bai Chunsheng didn’t care about the aftermath.
After lunch, during the peak of the sun’s intensity, Bai Chunsheng hadn’t yet settled down for another rest when Zhang Zhiyuan arrived again. He informed Bai Chunsheng that Xu Suifeng would be interrogating the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators this afternoon, so there likely wouldn’t be any trouble for them today. Zhang Zhiyuan said this and then left.
This was a rare opportunity. It seemed Xu Suifeng had given up suspecting the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Bai Chunsheng shut the door with excitement and pointed at Yan Yi. “Quick, put on your mask. Let’s go!”
Yan Yi had the novel he had been reading for two days, now reaching the exciting parts where the protagonists were fighting and cursing each other. However, Bai Chunsheng was clearly much more important to him. He gave a “hm” sound, shoved the book into his arms, grabbed his sword, and followed Bai Chunsheng.
Although Yan Yi didn’t put on the mask, Bai Chunsheng didn’t mind.
Bai Chunsheng had initially thought he wanted to leave Fuyu Mountain with Yan Yi as soon as possible, so he hadn’t bothered applying any illusions to his face.
The two of them took the familiar route to the hall. Along the way, people ignored them, as if they didn’t even see them.
Arriving at the hall, Xu Suifeng was again interrogating the mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, just as he had in the morning. Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi stood on the beams, looking down at the scene below.
Bai Chunsheng cast a spell, and from the shadows at the edge of the crowd, a small, black, skinny monster twisted and emerged. With a gentle breath, it began to swell up to a size that was no different from a normal person. Its dark skin turned pale and translucent as it expanded. Facial features like eyebrows and eyes started to appear on its paper-thin face, giving it a somewhat human appearance.
It looked up at Bai Chunsheng and grinned.
Its teeth were as sharp as those of deep-sea fish.
This was a technique Bai Chunsheng had seen years ago during the Ten Thousand Demon Sect’s grand competition, used by a snake demon. Bai Chunsheng found it interesting; with just a bit of vital energy and blood essence, he could create a puppet with some self-awareness. The puppet’s cultivation and strength depended on the amount of vital energy taken from the original. It was quite practical but required high control over spiritual power to learn.
At that time, Bai Chunsheng had been at the Nascent Soul stage, and learning it took nearly half a month.
Bai Chunsheng pointed at the puppet with satisfaction and asked Yan Yi, “How do you think I did?”
It looked much better than the human face Yan Yi had previously created.
Yan Yi nodded with a serious expression.
—Clearly not a normal person.
This was probably Bai Chunsheng’s intention.
No one in the hall noticed the presence of someone who looked abnormal.
Bai Chunsheng checked the time and estimated it would be a while before anyone realized. He told Yan Yi, “Let’s go back. We’ll see how things are tonight.”
If things didn’t turn out as they hoped, Bai Chunsheng would abandon this approach and find another way to enter the Yusheng Sect without further trouble.
As they were about to leave, they saw Su Xiaojing arguing with a stranger on the path outside the hall.
Today, Su Xiaojing wore a green outfit that, while not garish, added a touch of brightness to the gray autumn day, making him look lively and charming.
They had set up an illusion, but such a low-level illusion barrier was useless to Bai Chunsheng and Yan Yi.
Seeing the commotion, Bai Chunsheng was energized again.
In this world of muddied spiritual energy and tedious cultivation, expelling impurities was laborious and thankless. It was unknown whether the chaos of the Grand World or a resolution of disputes was to blame, but the Immortal Spirit Register had not updated for a long time. The top of the Heaven’s Pride Board had long since been replaced by Fang Nianhe of the Tianqing Sect, truly illustrating that in the absence of tigers in the mountain, monkeys claim the throne.
There was nothing new to be seen everywhere.
He was not like Yan Yi, who could read any old trashy novel. Bai Chunsheng found it quite boring.
As Yan Yi was about to leave, Bai Chunsheng pulled him back.
Su Xiaojing and Mu Changzhou were in a heated argument: “I told you not to come. Why did you come?”
Mu Changzhou, who had a fierce and gloomy appearance, gritted his teeth. “Do you want me to watch you and your good senior brother living together? Su Xiaojing, let me warn you. Your root bone is terribly poor, and your comprehension is mediocre. If it weren’t for our dual cultivation, you wouldn’t even have this Qi Refinement level!”
“Xu Suifeng, who is only in the mid-stage of Golden Core, managed to become an elder in the Yusheng Sect. Do you think he did it with just his skills? No, it’s because Mu Tingting’s grandfather is the richest merchant in Tian Nan City. All the gold and spirit stones in the world pass through his hands.”
Mu Changzhou said, “I’ve warned you many times. If you still can’t see through it, I advise you to think carefully. I hope you can at least leave a whole corpse after you die.”
Su Xiaojing took out a handkerchief and wiped his eye corners, with a sound of sobbing. He appeared delicate and his looks were just the right amount of gentle. With his naturally watery eyes, he looked even more pitiful when crying.
Mu Changzhou ignored him. After speaking, he glanced at Su Xiaojing with a cold smile and left directly.
After Mu Changzhou departed, Su Xiaojing cried for a while longer, ensuring that Mu Changzhou was truly gone. Then he also smirked, putting the handkerchief back into his sleeve and rolling his eyes. “So nosy.”
Bai Chunsheng watched in astonishment, while Yan Yi observed Su Xiaojing’s retreating figure and commented, “He must be of the Huayue Chunfeng Body. Unfortunately, his comprehension is indeed poor; he hasn’t found the right path to the Dao.”
Bai Chunsheng was aware of the Huayue Chunfeng Body; it was a low-tier dual cultivation physique. In places like the Hehuan Palace or the Cuiwei Palace, where dual cultivation techniques were common, he might have already made a name for himself.
However, recognizing Dao bodies was typically difficult. Aside from cultivators who practiced special techniques or used specific magic tools for identification, few would claim they could be 100% certain about someone’s Dao body. There was one special case where it could be identified: Dao marks. Yet Dao bodies were rare, and Dao marks were even rarer.
Bai Chunsheng asked, “How did you recognize it?”
Yan Yi replied, “I detected a sweet, greasy scent on him.”
“Oh?” Bai Chunsheng wrinkled his nose and sniffed, but he didn’t detect anything. Honestly, he said, “I didn’t.”
Yan Yi said, “He has a shiny fish-shaped Dao mark behind his right ear.”
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
Why are there people in this world who seem to take pleasure in deliberately teasing him?
However, Bai Chunsheng was curious. “Do people with Dao bodies always have such marks?”
His curiosity was piqued. Bai Chunsheng himself wasn’t a Dao body; he had only heard that Yan Jingqiu was. From Bai Chunsheng’s personal experience, it seemed that the rarer the Dao body, the more powerful it was, and the more powerful it was, the rarer it was. Yan Jingqiu should also have Dao marks. What were his marks like?
Bai Chunsheng was somewhat eager to see Yan Yi’s Dao marks, after all, this was something Bai Chunsheng did not have.
But Dao bodies and Dao marks were closely related to a cultivator’s cultivation level.
Some cultivators were very sensitive about such questions, especially since it involved privacy. Yan Yi might refuse to answer. Bai Chunsheng was curious but feared a rejection.
After thinking for a long time, Bai Chunsheng decided to feign casualness and asked, “If you have something unique about you, could you tell me in secret?”
For example, Dao marks that were different from ordinary ones like Su Xiaojing’s.
After pondering for a while and feeling embarrassed to speak up, Bai Chunsheng’s face turned red.
Fearing Yan Yi would misunderstand, he added, “…I mean something special.” Yan Yi should not shamelessly claim to be exceptionally good-looking.
In Yan Yi’s eyes, Bai Chunsheng was blushing and shyly looking at him. His dark, bright eyes were somewhat evasive, with a hint of red at the corners, making him appear charmingly delicate.
Yan Yi subconsciously thought Bai Chunsheng was flirting with him.
Yan Yi: “……”
In broad daylight, discussing such things might not be appropriate.
If Bai Chunsheng hadn’t added “special,” Yan Yi might not have misinterpreted it.
What kind of game was this little duck playing?
Yan Yi thought to himself, Bai Chunsheng was sometimes shy and irritable, and at other times, he tried deliberately to provoke and tease.
Yan Yi knew that Bai Chunsheng would be most aware of what set him apart from ordinary people, especially as a Dao companion.
However, Yan Yi was aware of his own thin skin and didn’t want to say it directly.
He responded tactfully, “Given our relationship, don’t you know best?”
Bai Chunsheng was momentarily taken aback. He remembered that he was not an enemy of Yan Jingqiu, with whom he would argue on sight, but rather Bai Chunsheng, a good friend of Yan Yi.
It was quite frustrating.
But he was still curious.
Bai Chunsheng thought all the way until he came up with a clever idea.
The night fell quickly on Fuyu Mountain, and there was still no dinner.
Bai Chunsheng was still itching with curiosity. The more Yan Yi wouldn’t tell him, the more he wanted to know what Yan Jingqiu’s Dao marks looked like. Maybe it was something amusing, which was why Yan Yi was reluctant to share.
As darkness set in, Bai Chunsheng loudly declared that he was going to sleep.
He planned to wait until Yan Yi fell asleep and then sneak over to take a look.
Yan Yi had long noticed that Bai Chunsheng was stiff and very nervous, quite unlike his usual self when preparing for bed.
Bai Chunsheng was probably the type who couldn’t lie, with a flush creeping from his face down to his neck, like a little crab that had been boiled.
After pretending to sleep for a while, Bai Chunsheng saw that Yan Yi was still sitting up and couldn’t resist, peeking out from under the covers with a hopeful look, and asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping?”
He made up an excuse, “You left the lamp on, and it’s making it hard for me to sleep.”
Yan Yi: “…Alright.”
Yan Yi wanted to see what Bai Chunsheng was up to. As he wished, he extinguished the candle and lay down fully clothed.
After a moment, Bai Chunsheng got up quietly like a little mouse.
He cautiously peered at Yan Yi.
This old stickler didn’t even undress for bed, how annoying.
Note: usually in ancient china clothing, they often remove the outer robe and keep only the inner robe when sleeping.
Bai Chunsheng was deeply disappointed and went back to sleep.
He slept soundly, so much so that he couldn’t help but revert to his original form and snuggle into his bed. Soon, his breathing became even and long.
Yan Yi, on the other hand, had another sleepless night.
…Was Bai Chunsheng thinking about him?
Being so close to his beloved yet unable to touch or embrace him was indeed a kind of torment.
Yan Yi understood.
His amnesia was a cruel reality. If he could never recover his memories in this lifetime, it would mean that only Bai Chunsheng would be left alone, tossing and turning at night, reliving those sweet and bittersweet experiences and past.
The memories of two people had become the suffering of one.
Yan Yi thought to himself, he could still give it a try. He could start by kissing tomorrow.
Even if he couldn’t recover his memories, he could experience love again, a second time with Bai Chunsheng.
They could embrace each other once more.
Author’s Note: Bai Chunsheng: Did you ask me about all this?
Woo woo woo woo woo, I’m here! [Running like a little train!]
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
