Chapter 89: The Golden Cage Traps the White Phoenix (12)
Bo Yan said, “I’m living very well.”
Bai Chunsheng shook his head. “Alright, I understand you.”
Every time Yan Jingqiu had overwhelmed him before, he had comforted himself in the same way.
He didn’t want to poke at what little pride Yan Yi had left, so he reassured, “Bo Yan is the ruler of the Water Abyss Realm. I’ve heard he was already a Mahayana Great Demon long ago, and even among Great Demons, his strength is extraordinary. You have amnesia—failing to beat him now is completely normal.”
Bo Yan: “……”
At this moment, he very much wanted to tell Bai Chunsheng that he wasn’t just some ordinary Nascent Soul sword cultivator—but a more complex emotion dominated him instead.
He couldn’t help but ask, “You really think Bo Yan is only a Great Demon at the Mahayana stage?!”
All the love and hate they had shared before his amnesia—now it could be summed up in one casual phrase from Bai Chunsheng: “just a Mahayana Great Demon”?
Bai Chunsheng naturally said, “I don’t know him.”
What was going on? One after another these past two days, Bo Yan had been acting like a narcissist, repeatedly asking what Bai Chunsheng thought of him.
Even Yan Yi had to ask the same thing.
—Of course, you don’t understand him.
Bo Yan sneered inwardly, still not realizing that Yan Yi was the very “Mahayana Great Demon” Bai Chunsheng had mentioned.
It was all lies, nothing but lies.
Whether it was the first meeting after his amnesia, when Bai Chunsheng called him his closest friend; in the Changliu Mountain illusion, when he whispered love to him; or just now, when Bai Chunsheng said he was Yan Yi’s Dao companion—all of it was a lie.
Bo Yan stared at the wall before him, knowing that behind it was Bai Chunsheng.
He felt an immense loneliness—loneliness born from Bai Chunsheng not loving him, from all his efforts that Bai Chunsheng had never acknowledged. Bo Yan didn’t know whether he had felt the same way before losing his memory, but he guessed that whatever had driven him to consider abandoning his original identity must have been even more desperate than what he felt now.
Seeing Bo Yan suddenly fall silent again, Bai Chunsheng leaned against the wall and tapped it lightly with his fingers. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m fine,” Bo Yan said absentmindedly.
Bai Chunsheng thought of something: “How were you captured by Bo Yan? Where were you yesterday?”
Bo Yan, ignoring the question, asked him instead, “Aren’t you afraid Bo Yan going to put you in a cauldron now?”
One moment Bai Chunsheng said he wanted to see Yan Yi one last time before dying, the next he said he didn’t want to see him at all.
Bo Yan understood why Bai Chunsheng had ultimately refused to see Yan Yi. He was afraid Yan Yi would witness his death—afraid that his death would crush the young sword cultivator. There was no crueler torture in this world, and Bai Chunsheng understood, because he had already heard news of Yan Jingqiu’s death.
So, Bai Chunsheng didn’t want to ruin Yan Yi—or, rather, he didn’t want to hurt a second “Yan Jingqiu.”
And yet, upon hearing Bai Chunsheng consider Yan Yi’s well-being and personally admit that he was Yan Yi’s Dao companion, Bo Yan felt genuine joy. He even eagerly changed his clothes and waited early here, just for Bai Chunsheng to say, “I want to see Yan Yi.”
All of Bai Chunsheng’s love was for Yan Jingqiu. Bo Yan or Yan Yi were only substitutes for the one he truly loved.
Bo Yan told himself this and sighed deeply.
When he raised his head again, his eyes were already cold as ice.
Bai Chunsheng thought for a while longer and finally understood Bo Yan’s meaning.
He said proudly and happily, “Looks like I won’t die for now. The attendant who brought me here said it was just a trick to scare me.”
Hearing this, Bo Yan’s expression remained calm, but the corner of his mouth curled into a faint, unreadable smile. He asked, “So, do you still want to see me?”
If anyone from the Yan family had seen Bai Chunsheng’s expression right now, they would probably have been trembling in fear. Everyone knew that the higher Yan Jingqiu’s smile, the crueler his actions could be.
Bai Chunsheng couldn’t see Bo Yan through the wall and assumed it was Bo Yan who wanted to see him.
He raised his eyebrows, his whole expression bright and playful. His voice carried a hint of laughter: “You missed
me too?”
Bo Yan froze for a moment, then Bai Chunsheng added quickly, “I won’t see you, goodbye.”
“Don’t go,” Bo Yan said instinctively.
A sudden wave of sadness washed over him—he realized that even knowing this was all Bai Chunsheng’s trick, he would still be helplessly drawn in.
Perhaps this was the true reason, before his amnesia, he had left himself a warning: “Don’t repeat past mistakes.”
Bai Chunsheng said, “I haven’t gone anywhere. If I wanted to, they would be sending me to Bo Yan’s bedchamber.”
At this, Bai Chunsheng’s voice grew quieter: “I suspect… I suspect Bo Yan wants to sleep with me.”
Bo Yan: “……”
Bo Yan felt speechless. The entire Dragon Palace knew about this, so how was it that Bai Chunsheng was only just realizing it?
Only Bai Chunsheng would so obliviously step straight into such an obvious trap and even think he was getting the better deal.
Just as Bo Yan was about to lecture him, Bai Chunsheng added, “Just like you sleep with me.”
Bo Yan frowned. Something felt off. “When did Yan Yi ever sleep with you?”
Bai Chunsheng said arrogantly, “Isn’t it every night? You always hold me while you sleep.”
This shameless Yan Yi even kissed him and held his hand.
“……” What a little fool.
Bo Yan snapped angrily, “How is that sleeping?”
Bai Chunsheng was indignant too. “How isn’t it? If you don’t understand, don’t speak nonsense.”
Bo Yan fell silent for a moment, perhaps realizing once again that whether it was him or “Yan Yi,” they were only shadows of Yan Jingqiu, the one Bai Chunsheng truly loved.
Impulsively, he decided to show Bai Chunsheng that the adult world was harsh.
Two children tucking themselves under a blanket didn’t count as having slept together.
It was very easy to go from the room to Bai Chunsheng’s bath. Bo Yan left his room and raised a finger when he saw the attendants waiting outside the door.
He cast a silence spell and entered the room.
Bo Yan couldn’t figure out his own feelings. He thought he could scare Bai Chunsheng a little, preferably making him scream “Waaah!” and beg to be spared today.
He didn’t want to do anything too excessive to Bai Chunsheng.
Even their previous kisses had been light and restrained; today, he wanted Bai Chunsheng to understand that adult desire wasn’t as simple as a little duckling might think.
Bai Chunsheng hadn’t noticed him yet. When Bo Yan approached, Bai Chunsheng finally turned around. The warm, misty steam drifted away, and a plump white duck was happily splashing in the water.
It really was Bai Chunsheng.
Seeing Yan Yi come, he transformed back into human form, leaning on the jade steps of the pool and looking up at Bo Yan.
Since he expected to see someone, Bai Chunsheng had changed into a wet white undergarment clinging to his body. His long hair was damp, plastered to his forehead and cascading down his back. His cheeks, flushed from the steam, framed black, bright eyes that shone with vitality.
Bo Yan’s gaze uncontrollably lingered on Bai Chunsheng’s lips, as soft and pink as dawn peach blossoms.
Bai Chunsheng clearly hadn’t thought much about it. In his understanding, Yan Yi was just next door—it was simple to come see him.
Yan Yi missed him.
Bai Chunsheng tilted his head and asked in a small, fragile voice, “Did you miss me?”
Bo Yan: “……”
He thought for a moment and struck out the idea of “light and restrained.”
—Obviously, if he didn’t tease Bai Chunsheng today, it would be a betrayal of himself.
Bo Yan asked, “Can I kiss you?”
Bai Chunsheng tilted his head, hesitated, then said, “Sure.” After all, Yan Yi had kissed him so many times before.
Author’s note: Yan Jingqiu: “My heart had already grown cold, except when Bai Chunsheng cried and begged for husbandly kisses.”
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
