Chapter 79: The Golden Cage Traps the White Phoenix (2)
Just now, Bai Chunsheng had originally planned to quickly escape the city outskirts by following the rushing river, hoping to slip away before anyone could react. However, for some unknown reason, despite having already made up his mind, Bai Chunsheng found himself delaying over and over again.
He didn’t stop to think about what he was worried about. Instead, he transformed into his original form, curling his head down, hiding behind a large boulder under the river. Pretending to be just another inconspicuous white stone, he listened intently to the sounds on the water’s surface.
— I wonder how Yan Yi is doing right now.
As this thought crossed his mind, Bai Chunsheng hurriedly refuted it, wondering why he was even thinking about him.
It would be best if Yan Yi had been caught as well. That way, he would be the only one who managed to escape. Without Yan Jingqiu blocking his way and constantly worrying about Yan Jingqiu regaining his memory, Bai Chunsheng would live a much easier life.
Yes, for now, escaping was the priority. Since the pursuers hadn’t caught up yet, and only Shen Yuying and her aunt Shen Qing were around, it would be easy to slip away without their notice.
But…
Where would he go once he escaped?
Bai Chunsheng felt a sense of confusion.
The Ten Thousand Demon Sect had been taken over by the Dragon Clan of Water Abyss Realm, and the secret realm of the Wutong Tree Sea had fallen into Shen Yuying’s hands. The Xu family of the Southern Region was currently at war with the Tianqing Sect. Bai Chunsheng wasn’t familiar with the Xu family, and he knew they wouldn’t go against Bo Yan just because of him.
Bai Chunsheng usually behaved erratically and spoiled, with no real friends. If Yan Yi were caught, he would be truly alone.
Where could he go?
He couldn’t go anywhere.
Bai Chunsheng’s heart began to race. A sense of panic, never before felt, overwhelmed him.
No, Yan Yi couldn’t be caught.
He didn’t want to be alone. Even if Yan Yi was the amnesiac Yan Jingqiu, he wanted someone by his side.
Even if Yan Jingqiu regained his memory, Bai Chunsheng would rather take a beating. He didn’t want to be locked away in a cold prison, left alone until his life expired and he died in solitude.
He had to leave with Yan Yi before Bo Yan arrived. Otherwise, neither of them would be able to escape.
Having made up his mind, Bai Chunsheng quietly swam upstream while Shen Yuying seemed to be talking to Shen Qing. He had cast a concealment spell on himself, and with his duck-like feet, he swam with ease, moving with the current. He was almost ready to surface.
Though the disturbance was minimal, after avoiding the chaotic and hard-to-detect spiritual energy downstream, the slight movement still caught the attention of two water dragons, who were the best at sensing water disturbances. Shen Qing was the first to notice, and Shen Yuying immediately made a gesture for her not to act rashly. She didn’t want to alert Bai Chunsheng, so she continued with her previous conversation while slowly moving toward the spot where the water had shifted.
Bai Chunsheng, unaware of this, wondered why he hadn’t heard Yan Yi’s voice above the water. Had Yan Yi already been caught? What should he do?
While Bai Chunsheng wasn’t paying attention, a hand reached around from behind and grabbed his wing. The slight disturbance caused by Bai Chunsheng’s movement in the water gradually subsided and returned to normal. Then, another unusual series of water ripples appeared, as if a school of fish had swum by, covering Bai Chunsheng’s tracks. This successfully misled Shen Yuying, making her hesitate.
All of this happened in an instant, and at the same time, another hand, infused with spiritual power, quickly covered Bai Chunsheng’s mouth.
This was it. Bai Chunsheng immediately struggled with all his might. The river was special, filled with all kinds of mixed spiritual energy. To break free, he would have to use several times more energy than usual. But if he did, the commotion would surely alert Shen Qing and Shen Yuying above.
It was a dilemma.
His feet were too soft, and his bird’s beak wasn’t sharp enough. After kicking a few times, there was no effect. He felt like a helpless little beast, at the mercy of others.
Bai Chunsheng decisively reverted to his human form, and the person holding him wrapped their arms around him, grabbing one of his hands and firmly covering his mouth.
Bai Chunsheng couldn’t move. As he opened his mouth to bite, the person leaned close to his ear and remained silent. Bai Chunsheng suddenly realized the truth. He stopped and cautiously tried sending a message: “Yan… Yan Yi?”
“Mmm.” Bo Yan responded coldly.
Bai Chunsheng, not yet realizing anything was amiss, relaxed. “You scared me to death.”
“Let’s run.” Bai Chunsheng had intended to break free from Bo Yan to check on him, but he couldn’t. So, he stayed obediently in Bo Yan’s embrace.
After a moment, Bo Yan released his grip.
It was indeed Yan Yi.
— This troublemaker had scared him.
Bai Chunsheng took Yan Yi’s hand. “Let’s go, quickly. Just now, I overheard Shen Yuying and her aunt saying that Bo Yan is coming. Once he arrives, we won’t be able to escape.”
He tugged at Yan Yi’s hand, but it didn’t budge. Bai Chunsheng, confused, turned around and heard Bo Yan’s voice in his mind: “Tell me, do you have a grudge against Bo Yan?”
“A deep hatred,” Bai Chunsheng answered firmly. “If he catches me, I’m done for.”
Wasn’t this nonsense? Once he was captured and brought back, Bo Yan would rightfully and openly become the Supreme Elder of the Ten Thousand Demon Sect. From then on, the Ten Thousand Demon Sect would serve as the base for the Water Abyss Realm in the Middle Realm.
To seize someone’s ancestral legacy—wasn’t that a deep blood feud? What else could it be?
As expected.
Bo Yan let out a silent laugh in his heart. He had known this all along, yet he had still held onto the last bit of hope.
Ha, after all this time, Bai Chunsheng still hadn’t recognized that he was Bo Yan.
Bai Chunsheng probably just thought that Yan Yi was merely an amnesiac little sword cultivator. The only thing surprising was that he bore some resemblance to Yan Jingqiu, which allowed him to transfer some of his hopeless and endless longing onto him.
Not even the slightest thought of connecting him to Bo Yan probably crossed his mind.
What did Bai Chunsheng take him for?
Yan Jingqiu was the moon in the sky, while he, Bo Yan, was the moon at the bottom of the sea.
One was unreachable, the other shattering upon a touch.
Was he Yan Jingqiu’s shadow, his substitute?
Bo Yan stared at Bai Chunsheng without blinking, inwardly mocking himself. Bai Chunsheng truly had deep feelings for Yan Jingqiu.
Even though he shared a face nearly identical to Yan Jingqiu’s, Bai Chunsheng couldn’t give him even the smallest bit of love. All the past deep affections, shyness, and touches of emotion were merely directed towards the memory of Yan Jingqiu.
Once he no longer resembled Yan Jingqiu, once he no longer wished to be this humble substitute, Bai Chunsheng would withdraw all the love he had given. Because it had never been meant for him in the first place.
Luckily, Bo Yan had been mentally prepared. He still had one last question to ask.
But he wanted Bai Chunsheng to tell the truth—completely and utterly the truth.
Bo Yan: “Give me your Yuan Ying, you go first.”
His reasoning was sound: “Since you and Bo Yan have a blood feud, he likely wouldn’t care much about me. If that’s the case, you should leave your Yuan Ying with me and run with your true body first. I’ll attract these pursuers and should be able to buy you some time.”
“At worst, if you manage to escape, even if I get caught, I’ll only lose a Yuan Ying. With more cultivation, I can find rare treasures and rebuild my Yuan Ying.”
“However, if your true body gets caught and I have your Yuan Ying, as long as I’m not dead, I can use it to transfer your consciousness into the Yuan Ying. At that point, you can abandon your physical body, cultivate a new one, and live on.”
“Of course, if we both get caught, there’s no future. But this way, your chances of escaping are much higher.”
Bai Chunsheng was stunned.
—He had never expected Yan Yi to think so much for him.
Besides feeling touched, there was also a vague, indescribable unease in his heart. He knew Yan Yi liked him, but he hadn’t expected Yan Yi to go this far for him.
Now, he couldn’t even speak. After a long time, Bai Chunsheng finally rubbed his sleeve with his palm and murmured, “Alright… alright.”
His heart raced, and in his mind, there was only one thought: if only Yan Jingqiu could always be like this.
Even if Yan Jingqiu regained his memories now, it would be hard for him to forget this moment.
—This truly felt like a pair of desperate lovers now.
Bai Chunsheng’s Yuan Ying was almost a miniature version of his true self—a rounded, white duck with soft feet, a round and flat beak, and eyes that were dark and bright, giving it an energetic and charming appearance. Holding it in his hand, it was soft and light, with its belly feathers feeling very comfortable and warm to the touch.
Bo Yan placed Bai Chunsheng’s Yuan Ying in his chest. The little white duck looked particularly well-behaved, not making a sound.
Softly lying against Bo Yan’s chest, it saw Yan Yi looking down at it and tilted its head to gaze back.
After all, this was still him. Bai Chunsheng felt a little embarrassed when he saw it, and gave the Yuan Ying a light tap on its little head, scolding, “Why are you acting so silly? Don’t tilt your head like that.” This was his awkward attempt to salvage some dignity in front of Yan Yi.
Bai Chunsheng watched as Bo Yan took his Yuan Ying upstream, and he closed his eyes, even able to hear the heartbeat in Yan Yi’s chest through the Yuan Ying.
Unfortunately, his cultivation was still insufficient. If only—if only he had reached the late Dao stage, he would be able to see and hear what was happening on Yan Yi’s side through the Yuan Ying. But as it was, if he were even a thousand meters apart, he could only sense a vague, distant connection.
Now wasn’t the time for self-pity. Bai Chunsheng gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, and began to swim downstream with the current.
He had to leave here quickly, as fast as possible, because only then could he give Yan Yi a chance to survive.
Bo Yan climbed ashore. Shen Yuying and Shen Qing were surprised to see him. How dare this sword cultivator appear so openly here? Just as Shen Yuying was about to raise her blade in caution, she noticed the golden dragon scales behind Bo Yan’s ear, a result of his recent return from Water Abyss Realm, still affected by the life lamp, not yet shed.
This was also why, when Bo Yan first grabbed Bai Chunsheng, he hadn’t let him turn around, and later, when he loosened his grip, it was because he had forcibly suppressed the scales on his body.
Now that Bai Chunsheng wasn’t around, he naturally let go of his restrictions. These scales would retract automatically after a few hours. They were only out of control because of the stimulus from the command lamp.
Shen Yuying immediately sheathed her sword and, with Shen Qing, kneeled on the water’s surface: “Your Excellency…”
Before they could finish, Bo Yan raised his finger to his lips: “Shh.”
He whispered, “Don’t let Bai Chunsheng find out.”
Bo Yan turned and walked under the Windvoice Tree, taking Bai Chunsheng’s Yuan Ying from his chest. By now, Bai Chunsheng should have already left this area, carried by the current. The small, round little lump, about the size of a palm, had become a bit limp, having lost control due to the distance from the main body.
Demon beasts’ Yuan Yings were a direct reflection of their true inner selves, which was why Bo Yan had to take Bai Chunsheng’s with him.
Bai Chunsheng could lie, but his Yuan Ying would never.
Bo Yan demanded sharply, “Who do you really love?”
He still held on to the last shred of hope, unwilling to believe his conclusions. He wanted to hear Bai Chunsheng say it himself, not just his own inferences.
Bai Chunsheng’s Yuan Ying was slightly frightened. This plump duck-like little bird instinctively took a deeper breath, puffed up its chest, and tried to appear bigger, as if to tell the fearsome figure before it that it was not so easy to deal with.
Seeing this, Bo Yan couldn’t help but shake his head helplessly. He looked at the little white duck and said seriously, “I know you know. Don’t play dumb.”
The little white duck blinked, seemingly afraid of making Bo Yan angry.
But after hesitating for a moment, its eyes darted around. When it didn’t see Bai Chunsheng’s true form, which always contradicted his words, it bravely spoke the name: “Yan Jingqiu.”
Bai Chunsheng’s Yuan Ying said, “I love Yan Jingqiu, always, always, so deeply.”
Bo Yan fell silent for a moment, letting out a long sigh.
What exactly had he been hoping for?
Author’s Note:
Yan Jingqiu sternly asked, “Between me and Yan Jingqiu, who do you love?”
Bai Chunsheng: “…?”
The Yuan Ying idea is my own take. The Yuan Ying of a demon beast is the most direct reflection of the true inner self and will not lie. When they reach the Mahayana stage, it will merge back with the main body as it returns to its original state.
I mentioned this in Chapter 3, but since it’s been a long time, I’ve reintroduced it here.
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
