Chapter 73: Outside Lumen City Lies the Deer Platform (11)
“?”
What was he saying?
Bai Chunsheng paused for a moment as countless thoughts rushed through his mind. First came the relief of surviving a disaster, and then, only belatedly, he realized—both angry and embarrassed—what Yan Yi had said about being his Dao companion.
This idiot must be dreaming!
“Who’s your Dao companion?!” Bai Chunsheng scrambled up from the ground, intending to puff out his chest and tiptoe just enough to make Yan Yi look up at his chin and apologize, admit fault, and reflect properly.
But Yan Yi, completely oblivious to the situation, thought Bai Chunsheng was just feeling insecure and needed some sort of firm reassurance. Tilting his head with great seriousness, Yan Yi replied, “Naturally, you are.”
“……” Bai Chunsheng gave Yan Yi a shove. “Stop acting like a lunatic!”
Seeing that Bai Chunsheng was still not giving a clear answer, Yan Yi smiled faintly. “Then tell me—what else are you hiding from me?”
Bai Chunsheng’s expression just moments ago made it seem like he’d been keeping plenty of things from him. If it wasn’t about this, then it had to be something else.
Yan Yi pressed on step by step: “Speak. I’m listening.”
Though his lips carried a smile, his tone was completely serious.
Bai Chunsheng didn’t dare say a word. Just moments ago, he’d been full of confidence, thinking he had the upper hand. But under Yan Yi’s sudden intensity, he retreated step by step until he was backed into the corner again.
His mind went completely blank—he couldn’t think of a single excuse.
For a moment, he even thought, Fine, I’ll just be his Dao companion. It’s not like I’ll lose a piece of flesh over it. I’ll just go along with it for now and deal with the rest later.
He figured he could always deny it later anyway. What could Yan Yi do? Force him into it?
Maybe it was the lingering daze from the illusionary fire, or maybe he still hadn’t recovered from Yan Yi’s kiss. Whatever the reason, Bai Chunsheng’s mind came up with this messy, irrational idea.
And once he thought of it, he acted on it. Even though he was still flustered, blushing red, he acted first to gain the upper hand. He leaned in quickly and gave Yan Yi a light peck on the cheek with a soft “mwah.”
“Yes.” Bai Chunsheng turned his head and tried to hide to the side right after kissing him—it was really too embarrassing for him.
—Yan Yi thought to himself: I knew it.
This little thing couldn’t keep his mouth shut. Just a little push and he confessed on his own.
But even if he hadn’t said it, Yan Yi felt like he already knew.
Such obvious affection—anyone who couldn’t see it would have to be a fool.
“What do you mean, ‘yes’?”
But Yan Yi wasn’t about to let Bai Chunsheng off that easily. That kiss had barely touched the surface, and he hadn’t had time to savor it.
Bai Chunsheng, now feeling as if a major life event had been taken care of, seemed visibly relieved. Emboldened again, he raised his chin proudly and declared, “What do you mean, what do I mean? I’m your Dao companion.”
“Oh?” Yan Yi wasn’t so easily swayed, and his will remained firm. “But that’s not what you said just now.”
Bai Chunsheng’s thoughts were spinning, frantically trying to come up with a way to patch up his lie, when he heard Yan Yi continue, “Didn’t you say I was only allowed to kiss you once?”
“…Why are you going back on your word?” Yan Yi asked.
Bai Chunsheng sneered to himself, Yeah, I’m going back on my word. What are you gonna do about it? I said you could only kiss me once—I never said I wouldn’t kiss you!
Yan Yi found the thought amusing. “Didn’t you say if I told you how I got here, you’d tell me when I could kiss you again?”
In your next life, hmph.
Bai Chunsheng knew he couldn’t say that aloud now. If he pushed Yan Yi too far and made him angry, what then?
Furrowing his brows, Bai Chunsheng replied, “I haven’t figured that out yet. You’ll have to wait until I do.”
Not wanting to let Yan Yi continue pressing the issue, Bai Chunsheng sidestepped him and quickly walked over to the incense table. The incense placed on the table had already burned out, but there was still a brocade box that hadn’t been opened.
Curious, Bai Chunsheng opened it and found a scroll inside.
He called Yan Yi over to help hold one end of the scroll while he carefully unfurled it. It was a painting of a beauty, drawn with meticulous, delicate brushwork. The woman lay amidst a bed of blossoms, her skin as smooth and fair as congealed cream, her features soft and gentle—she looked like a jade statue come to life.
Strikingly, not a single peony—the famed “queen of flowers”—was included in the painting. Yet, the mass of vibrant blooms surrounding her didn’t steal the spotlight. Instead, they served only to highlight the woman’s pure and elegant beauty, making her the true queen among flowers.
Even through the slightly yellowed painting, her breathtaking beauty still shone through.
Bai Chunsheng didn’t recognize this woman.
He pulled down more of the scroll, revealing a small red seal at the bottom—likely the signature of the artist or the owner.
Ancient seals like this were often hard to read, but this one had been remarkably well-preserved over the years. The characters were still clear. Bai Chunsheng studied them carefully, and finally recognized the two characters:
—Jing Xing.
As if both had suddenly made the same connection, Yan Yi and Bai Chunsheng looked at each other. At the same time, they blurted out, “Lingyu Mountain Puppet!”
Seconds later, they scrambled to say, “Ye Jingxing’s token!”
No one had seen the Lingyu Mountain Puppet in ages, but cultivators were known for their razor-sharp memories. Both of them clearly remembered the faded red seal on the right wing of that puppet. After comparing it with the token bearing the identity of “Ye Jingxing,” they’d found the same characters—Jing Xing—almost identical.
This couldn’t be a coincidence.
Which meant that the skeleton they’d found in the mine belonged to the very person who had once owned this hidden sanctuary. And that blue dragon who died there likely wasn’t just some simple creature, as Bai Chunsheng had previously guessed. Those two had to have been at least at the Mahayana stage.
And yet, they’d died here—quietly, unnoticed—in some forgotten corner of a minor mortal realm. It was a truly sobering thought.
Perhaps it was fate—some unknown connection—that had led the two of them to encounter the Lingyu Mountain Puppet and then stumble upon this mine where both that person and the dragon had perished. That same fate had helped them uncover his identity and return his remains here.
Bai Chunsheng remembered what Yan Yi had written for him on the jade slip: Do not take anything you’re not meant to take. He carefully re-rolled the painting and placed it back in the brocade box. Yan Yi took out the remains of “Ye Jingxing,” golden bones and all, and positioned them back on the prayer mat as though the man were still meditating there.
Once everything was settled, Bai Chunsheng, full of reluctant admiration, took Yan Yi’s hand and led him out of this treasure trove—one filled with wonders, yet so perilous that they could take nothing with them.
—Not that he wanted to hold hands. But Yan Yi had insisted, What kind of Dao companion doesn’t hold hands?
So Bai Chunsheng had no choice.
He held his breath and accepted it.
Author’s Note:
Fake beauty trap: Little duck waddles over for cuddles.
Real beauty trap: Big beauty blushes and shyly asks for kisses.
We’re moving into the main plot now! There’s been lots of setup already, but just a heads-up anyway [thump up emoji]
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
