Chapter 94: Penglai Has an Immortal Island (4)
Between Bo Yan’s fingers, the jade hibiscus he held looked delicate and lush, as if it were about to drip with beauty. Through the screen, he could vaguely make out Bai Chunsheng’s hazy silhouette. Who knew what bad idea Bai Chunsheng was thinking up now? Just as Bai Chunsheng seemed about to sit down, Bo Yan called out to him.
Strictly speaking, he did not call out. Bo Yan merely crooked his finger at him, and Bai Chunsheng rose involuntarily and walked toward him.
Because he had been under control, the sense of distance Bai Chunsheng had felt toward Bo Yan had faded somewhat—yet now it thickened again.
When he reached Bo Yan, Bai Chunsheng instinctively looked first at the flower in Bo Yan’s hand.
Bo Yan watched Bai Chunsheng. Unable to resist, Bai Chunsheng slightly lowered his head toward the seated Bo Yan. Bo Yan pinched Bai Chunsheng’s chin and tucked the jade hibiscus behind his ear.
Earlier, he had felt that this jade hibiscus suited Bai Chunsheng well, which was why he had cut it. Bo Yan released him and looked at the red mark left on Bai Chunsheng’s cheek from his grip. With a trace of regret, he said, “It doesn’t match even half your color.”
The Water Abyss Realm was rich in spiritual energy. Above the sea of clouds in the sky, there was a garden enclosed by the Dragon Clan. In a few days, he would take Bai Chunsheng there. Or perhaps he should give orders earlier and have the people of Lingqi Sect prepare in advance—the headpieces and garments Bai Chunsheng would wear.
Bo Yan removed the jade hibiscus, crushed it in his hand, and tossed the fragments back onto the cloud-soil in the flowerpot.
“Tomorrow, we are going to Penglai Immortal Island.”
Bo Yan had already said this once before. As if speaking to himself, he repeated it to Bai Chunsheng. “Although Immortal Miaoyan is nothing extraordinary, he has the best connections in the cultivation world and holds great seniority.”
“There is no one more suitable than him to officiate our wedding.”
“Officiate?” Bai Chunsheng, who had been kneeling on the ground, cried out in shock. Only then did he realize he was no longer being controlled. “What did you say?”
Bo Yan calmly repeated, “I said Immortal Miaoyan would be very suitable to officiate the wedding between the two of us.”
Bai Chunsheng almost thought his ears had failed him. “Officiate what wedding? A marriage wedding?”
Bo Yan: “…”
Bai Chunsheng asked urgently, “Didn’t you say I didn’t have to marry Shen Yuying anymore?”
“With me,” Bo Yan said.
“Oh.” Bai Chunsheng quieted down. “Congratulations, congratulations. So you and Shen Yuying are getting married.” No wonder he had been so fierce—so he had thought Bai Chunsheng was trying to steal his wife.
Bai Chunsheng felt his heart settle back into his chest. That had scared him to death—how would he explain it to Yan Yi otherwise? That fool still thought he was his Dao companion.
Bo Yan, “You and me.”
Bai Chunsheng: “…”
He fell silent for a moment, then used his rarely engaged brain to sort out the relationships.
“What marriage between you and me? We’re not even close!” Bai Chunsheng shouted. Moreover—moreover, he hurriedly added, “I don’t like you. That ‘like’ I mentioned yesterday afternoon—I wasn’t talking about you!”
He had meant Yan Yi to hear it!
Bai Chunsheng grew anxious. “You took liberties with me yesterday… and I didn’t even argue with you about it. I don’t like you. I—I already like someone else.”
Bo Yan nodded lightly. “I know.”
“You know?!” Bai Chunsheng shouted. “You knew and you still want to marry me?”
“Two men getting married—doesn’t that sound strange? I don’t want it. Not at all. People will talk.” Bai Chunsheng shook his head. In his flustered attempt to persuade Bo Yan, he rambled, “The world is so vast. If you want to find a beauty of unmatched grace, it would be easy. Why insist on me? I—I have a bad temper. No one likes me.”
Bo Yan asked, “What if it were you and Yan Jingqiu?”
This was the first time Bo Yan had asked Bai Chunsheng so directly.
For a brief moment, Bai Chunsheng was dazed.
Bo Yan already knew the answer.
He let out a cold laugh. “You must go tomorrow. I wasn’t asking for your opinion. Little Demon King, you came here as a prisoner to be confined—not as some honored guest.”
His hand gripped Bai Chunsheng’s chin again, rubbing it ambiguously before pinching his cheek. “Stop playing those shameful little tricks. Do you think trying to seduce me would work? I already let you off before. Don’t imagine that just because you managed to coax or deceive me once or twice, I’ll let you muddle through.”
With his cheek being pinched, Bai Chunsheng’s mouth was forced open, revealing faint glimpses of his white teeth and soft pink tongue. Kneeling on the ground, he looked up at Bo Yan, his eyes seeming to glisten with unshed tears.
Bo Yan let out a cold “hmph,” suppressing the urge to comfort him. He released his grip, applying some force as he turned Bai Chunsheng aside.
Because of the movement, Bai Chunsheng’s body tilted slightly to the left. He obediently sat back in his original position, head lowered, his expression unreadable.
Perhaps this was the first time since Bai Jianghan’s death that Bai Chunsheng truly understood what it meant to be meat on the chopping block, at the mercy of others. In the past, Yan Yi had protected him well, to the point that he had still felt as though he were in the Ten Thousand Demon Sect, as though one day he could make a comeback. But in truth, returning to the past was something extremely, extremely difficult.
To recognize the facts. To recognize reality…
After a long silence—
Knowing he could change nothing and had no standing to negotiate with Bo Yan, Bai Chunsheng spoke weakly, “Then… can I see Yan Yi? He thinks he’s my Dao companion. I should at least tell him about this.”
There were other things Bai Chunsheng wanted to say. Since Bo Yan’s aim was to marry him, could Bo Yan release Yan Yi? Yan Yi had been dragged into this innocently because of him. He should not have to waste what should have been a brilliant and radiant future, languishing in the lonely, desolate ice caverns of the Water Abyss Realm.
“No need to see him,” Bo Yan said irritably. “He’s dead.”
Author’s Note: ⊙ω⊙
Huge shoutout to @_nyanmaru_ on Discord for commissioning this! The chapter will be posted regularly, show your support for Ciacia at Kofi.
