Chapter 109 – Extra 7
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Gu Yang was sitting cross-legged on the bed, and on the table not far away from him, there was a row of small golden bottles.
The small bottles were exquisitely designed, adorned with gemstones, giving them a valuable appearance.
However, the real value laid in the ointment they contained.
Though referred to as an ointment, its texture was slightly thinner than regular ointments and thicker than oil, and its effects were indeed remarkable.
After all, Gu Yang had been using it continuously for several days. The row of bottles on his table was all empty.
Although the golden chrysanthemum ointment bottles seemed sizeable, the amount of ointment inside was pitifully little. It might be to increase its value or simply because it was difficult to make.
But regardless, despite some initial resistance, Gu Yang had to admit that he had become somewhat dependent on this golden chrysanthemum ointment. After all, only those who used such ointments truly understood their worth.
As he looked at the empty row of vials, Gu Yang even began to wonder how much he would miss this ointment once they left this dream world and returned to reality.
At that moment, Fan Yuan pushed open the door, holding a piece of paper in his hand.
Gu Yang knew that a few days ago, Fan Yuan had taken out all the private money of his position as the Demon Cult’s leader for some purpose. Seeing Fan Yuan return with a piece of paper today, he had a gut feeling that it was related to where his private funds had gone.
Fan Yuan didn’t hide anything from Gu Yang, his gaze passing over the row of golden chrysanthemum ointment bottles Gu Yang had set up. He walked directly to the bedside and sat down.
Subconsciously, Gu Yang pulled his robe around himself, then slowly extended a hand from beneath the covers and waved it.
“Let me see.”
Fan Yuan placed the paper in Gu Yang’s hand. As soon as the paper left his hand, Fan Yuan immediately turned it around and held onto Gu Yang’s wrist, pulling him into an embrace.
The tightly wrapped covers loosened, and Gu Yang extended his hand to try to retrieve them, but Fan Yuan held him tightly, preventing any movement.
Gu Yang was only dressed in a loosely fitting silk robe, with the sash not properly tied. He was held in Fan Yuan’s embrace just like that.
No matter how close they were, no matter how intimate or for how long, Gu Yang would always feel shy and embarrassed in front of Fan Yuan.
Fan Yuan seemed to enjoy the direct contact of their skin. His palm followed the hem of the robe, pressing against Gu Yang’s body, while he waited for Gu Yang to look at the paper.
Since he was already being held, Gu Yang couldn’t resist anymore. He tried to calm himself as much as possible and lowered his head to look at the paper Fan Yuan had brought back.
He was met with a line of large characters:
“Golden Chrysanthemum Ointment Formula.”
Gu Yang: “What is this…”
Fan Yuan took the paper back from Gu Yang’s hand and read aloud the names of the medicinal ingredients used in the formula, one by one.
Each name was whispered into Gu Yang’s ear. Fan Yuan’s lips moved as he spoke, and while Gu Yang couldn’t see, he could sense the shape of Fan Yuan’s lips forming the words.
“You seem to really like this ointment.”
After finishing reciting the formula, Fan Yuan carefully folded the thin piece of paper and slipped it into the loosely fitted collar of Gu Yang’s robe.
Gu Yang touched the paper:
“Aren’t you keeping it?”
Fan Yuan hugged Gu Yang’s body back slightly, allowing their bodies to fit even more snugly together:
“I’ve memorized it.”
Gu Yang suddenly realized:
“You don’t mean to try this formula when we return to the real world, do you? Can it work?”
Fan Yuan raised his hand and loosened his own belt, a deep black belt that he draped over Gu Yang’s fair forearm:
“Let’s try it first, just in case.”
Gu Yang was no longer paying attention to what Fan Yuan was saying. He was completely focused on his own forearm.
Fan Yuan was wrapping the dark belt around his arm, one loop after another, winding it deliberately and resolutely.
Anxiously, Gu Yang licked his lips and asked Fan Yuan:
“I just woke up…”
Fan Yuan intertwined both of Gu Yang’s hands together, tying them into a bow in the process:
“It’s okay, I don’t mind.”
Gu Yang wanted to say that he did mind, he minded a lot, but Fan Yuan didn’t give him a chance to speak anymore.
That night, the Demon Cult members had finally used up all the golden chrysanthemum ointment they had collected from all corners of the martial world.
The golden vials were scattered all over the floor, and the formula for the golden chrysanthemum ointment that Fan Yuan had obtained using Gu Yang’s private funds was also crumpled up and thrown on the ground.
The edges of the formula were torn and crumpled, a clear sign of someone’s frustration.
In the morning, Gu Yang’s personal servant, as usual, came to the door early. However, he didn’t directly knock on the door. Instead, he quietly pressed his ear against it to listen, then left stealthily.
In fact, since their leader, Gu Yang, had brought the upright double agent Fan Yuan into his chambers, the servant hadn’t seen their early-rising leader for a long time.
Not only had he not seen the leader who rose early, he couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the leader who went to bed early.
Gu Yang barely opened his eyes in the morning and didn’t wake up until the afternoon. As soon as he woke up, he saw a large mirror placed by the door.
In this dream world they had come to this time, there were only those hazy bronze mirrors and a few expensive mirrors made with gemstones.
But these mirrors were generally small because gemstones were hard to come by. Apart from the enormous “Mirror of Desire” under the palace, Gu Yang hadn’t seen any larger gemstone mirrors in this world.
Now, there was one placed in front of the door.
Although this gemstone mirror was far from the size of the enormous one under the palace, it was still considerable in size, almost as tall as a person. It was currently resting quietly by the door.
Fan Yuan seemed to have calculated the time Gu Yang would wake up and entered with steaming food in hand.
As soon as he entered, he saw Gu Yang staring blankly at the mirror by the door.
“Is it nice to look at?”
Gu Yang snapped out of his daze, his eyes looking deeply at Fan Yuan:
“Did you use the private funds for this mirror?”
Fan Yuan shook his head, carrying a bowl of porridge and sitting next to Gu Yang. He lightly stirred the porridge with a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, cooled it with a careful blow, and then brought it to Gu Yang’s lips.
“Your private funds are only enough to buy one formula.”
With the aroma of the porridge wafting, Gu Yang didn’t resist and immediately opened his mouth to take a bite.
Fan Yuan fed Gu Yang a spoonful and took a spoonful for himself. They ate the porridge, each taking turns.
Gu Yang was a bit puzzled. Fan Yuan didn’t have much money to his name:
“Then how did you get this mirror?”
Fan Yuan didn’t reply, he just used a spoonful of porridge to seal Gu Yang’s mouth.
Soon, Gu Yang was too preoccupied with drinking the porridge and didn’t bother asking further.
After all, regardless of what Fan Yuan did, this was just a fictional dream world.
Everything here was illusory, and Gu Yang didn’t really care what Fan Yuan did. However, he believed that Fan Yuan wouldn’t do anything too excessive.
The fact that this mirror could be purchased by Fan Yuan was also thanks to the benevolence of those righteous individuals.
When those righteous individuals were so infuriated that they were spitting blood and preparing to launch a forceful attack on the Demon Cult, they still held a glimmer of hope and sent a letter to Fan Yuan.
Unexpectedly, good things came to those who waited. They finally saw the pigeon they had released returning, with a message from Fan Yuan attached. The letter contained only two sentences:
“Bear humiliation and carry a heavy burden, luckily not disgraced. We can attack, but we lack funds for preparation and winning hearts.”
Upon seeing the reply, the righteous individuals were overjoyed. They thought that since they would acquire the key after capturing the Demon Cult, gaining countless treasures, they didn’t mind raising the necessary funds. Therefore, they immediately gathered a substantial sum of money, exchanged it for silver bills, and sent the pigeons on their way.
Afterward, they waited for a long time without receiving any further response.
However, their confidence was unshaken. They were only waiting a few more days to attack the Demon Cult, defeat them soundly, seize the key, and access countless treasures.
The gemstone mirror now in front of Gu Yang was bought by Fan Yuan using the silver that the righteous individuals had sent.
Those pigeons that delivered the silver were now also placed in a cage by Fan Yuan, joining the ranks of the many pigeons that loafed around and did no work.
If those righteous individuals knew the truth, they might not spit blood in anger; they might just drop dead from shock.
However, Gu Yang had no knowledge of what the righteous individuals had done. All he knew was that Fan Yuan was massaging his belly and feeding him after he had finished his meal.
Gu Yang couldn’t help but curl up with the blanket, looking at the empty bottles of golden chrysanthemum ointment, and murmured softly:
“The ointment is gone.”
Fan Yuan shifted closer, narrowing the gap between them:
“I know.”
Gu Yang scooted further back, his back against the wall:
“I just finished eating…”
Fan Yuan removed his shoes, got onto the bed, and effectively trapped Gu Yang against the wall:
“I fed you.”
Gu Yang looked around, seemingly evaluating the possibility of breaking through the encirclement directly from Fan Yuan’s side.
Seeing Gu Yang’s surveying gaze, Fan Yuan suddenly frowned:
“Gu Yang, don’t you like it?”
Gu Yang was still glancing around, not paying attention to what Fan Yuan had said. He gave a perfunctory response:
“Yeah.”
Fan Yuan’s eyelashes lowered, and he firmly held Gu Yang’s face in his hands, forcing Gu Yang to make eye contact with him:
“Gu Yang, give me an honest answer.”
Gu Yang blinked, his lips pouted from being held by Fan Yuan’s hands, and he mumbled vaguely:
“Answer what?”
Fan Yuan leaned down, gently rubbing his nose against Gu Yang’s, moving from the tip of his nose to his cheek:
“Don’t you like me touching you?”
Gu Yang remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on Fan Yuan’s, until Fan Yuan retreated slightly and created some distance. Only then did Gu Yang shake his head:
“I like it.”
Fan Yuan looked into Gu Yang’s eyes:
“I like you touching me… it’s just… a bit tiring…”
Fan Yuan lowered his head slowly, seemingly about to give Gu Yang’s pouting lips a kiss. However, just as their lips were about to meet, he suddenly pulled back.
He raised his head and ended up planting a kiss on Gu Yang’s forehead instead.
“I understand.”
Gu Yang was somewhat bewildered. What did Fan Yuan understand?
Fan Yuan then got out of bed, tucked Gu Yang under the covers, and pressed him back onto the bed:
“Get some more sleep. In the future… I’ll restrain myself.”
Gu Yang laid in bed, watching as Fan Yuan left with the empty bowl of porridge.
Looking at the now-closed door, his gaze shifted and landed on the gemstone mirror placed by the door, and a sudden sense of panic overwhelmed him.
This anxiety prevented him from falling back asleep. He tossed and turned in bed, his mind in disarray, not sure what he was thinking.
This uneasiness continued until Fan Yuan pushed the door open again and sat by the bedside, watching him. Gradually, the feeling of unease faded away.
Gu Yang reached out from under the blanket and cautiously placed his hand into Fan Yuan’s.
Fan Yuan showed no sign of surprise, gripping Gu Yang’s hand, then climbed onto the bed, hugging Gu Yang and joining him in a nap.
Feeling the warmth in Fan Yuan’s embrace, Gu Yang completely relaxed and drifted off to sleep.
His nap was deep and sweet. When he opened his eyes and saw Fan Yuan still by his side, he felt even more comfortable from head to toe.
Stretching lazily, Gu Yang instinctively opened his arms, ready to pull Fan Yuan into a warm embrace and plant a kiss.
He had just reached out to embrace Fan Yuan, pouting and leaning in, when Fan Yuan turned his head aside.
Gu Yang was momentarily taken aback, then saw Fan Yuan get up with an expression as if nothing had happened. Fan Yuan moved away, stepped off the bed, and asked:
“Are you hungry? Do you want dinner?”
Gu Yang didn’t say anything. He propped himself up on the bed and furrowed his brows.
After a moment, he raised his arm higher, facing Fan Yuan:
“Fan Yuan, kiss me.”
Fan Yuan bent down gracefully, returned the embrace, and gently kissed Gu Yang’s forehead, also smoothing down Gu Yang’s tousled hair.
“Are you hungry?”
Gu Yang scrutinized Fan Yuan closely, finally letting out a sigh of relief, thinking he had overthought things.
He nodded, immediately reeling off a list of things he wanted to eat. He didn’t let go of Fan Yuan’s hand, instead calling the servant loudly to come in and prepare the food.
When the servant entered, he was startled by the sight of the massive gemstone mirror by the door. Then, it seemed like he realized something and cast an even more respectful glance at Gu Yang.
Gu Yang didn’t pay attention to the servant’s expression. He had been focused on observing Fan Yuan.
Fan Yuan seemed unchanged from before, yet somehow different.
Gu Yang pondered over this for a long time, even during dinner.
In the evening, the two of them went for a walk hand in hand. When Gu Yang wanted to kiss again, Fan Yuan once again turned his head aside. Gu Yang finally realized something was amiss.
Fan Yuan wasn’t kissing him anymore, or rather, he wasn’t kissing his mouth.
They still held hands, embraced, and Fan Yuan would tenderly kiss Gu Yang’s forehead. However, more intimate gestures were no longer part of Fan Yuan’s actions.
The feeling was reminiscent of a time long ago, even before the college entrance exams, back when Fan Yuan was very restrained.
Suddenly, Gu Yang remembered their conversation earlier that afternoon. He had said he was too tired, and Fan Yuan had said he would restrain himself.
Was it because of that?
Under the moonlight, Gu Yang gazed at Fan Yuan earnestly. Sensing Gu Yang’s gaze, Fan Yuan seemed as if he wanted to lower his head and kiss Gu Yang’s lips. However, his lips stopped just above Gu Yang’s.
The next moment, Fan Yuan stood up and, after all, only kissed Gu Yang’s forehead.
Gu Yang raised a hand and touched his own forehead, then suddenly grinned.
His clear and attractive eyes sparkled in the moonlight, and there was a hint of smugness in the way he looked at Fan Yuan.
It was deliberate on Fan Yuan’s part, this stark before-and-after comparison, all to make Gu Yang unable to resist and initiate the more intimate interactions.
Gu Yang had guessed Fan Yuan’s intention, and as Fan Yuan saw Gu Yang’s smile, he knew that Gu Yang had figured it out.
Fan Yuan reached out and playfully flicked Gu Yang’s nose, asking with a knowingly innocent tone:
“What are you laughing at?”
Gu Yang reached out and held Fan Yuan’s fingertips, bringing them to his lips and lightly biting with his teeth. The curve of his lips couldn’t be contained as they lifted:
“Fan Yuan, I won’t be the one begging you to exercise. Just you wait.”
Fan Yuan naturally responded by touching the tip of Gu Yang’s sharp teeth with his fingertip, a playful smile and a hint of confidence in his dark eyes:
“Is that so? Well then, I’ll wait.”
As he finished speaking, Gu Yang let go of Fan Yuan’s hand and stepped back, creating some distance between them.
Then, under the moonlight, he used his fingertips to gently brush against his own lips and playfully licked his fingers.
Fan Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, standing still.
Pointing a finger at Fan Yuan, Gu Yang wagged it left and right:
“Remember what you said. You better restrain yourself.”
With that, Gu Yang took a step forward, playfully running ahead. It seemed like he found the situation amusing and had let go of his previous worries, becoming more relaxed.
Fan Yuan stood still, watching Gu Yang dart around, his lips curling into a faint smile. Slowly, he started to follow, matching Gu Yang’s pace.
Under the moonlit forest, the two of them went for a walk, refusing to touch each other.
Fan Yuan was fine, content with just walking.
Gu Yang, on the other hand, became a bit mischievous. Every now and then, he would pout at Fan Yuan, a playful challenge, as if saying, “Are you brave enough to come and kiss me?”
And so, a completely inexplicable competition of “who can resist first” began. The gemstone mirror that Fan Yuan had bought with the silver from the righteous sect members remained quietly placed at the entrance of their sleeping quarters, never being used.
Well, not never used. At least when Gu Yang was tidying his clothes, he found the gemstone mirror quite handy.
However, Fan Yuan hadn’t bought the mirror for Gu Yang to use it for grooming.
The righteous sect members had gradually shifted their focus from launching an immediate attack after handing over the silver to Fan Yuan. They opted for careful and foolproof preparations.
So, after sending the carrier pigeons, they had been waiting for news from Fan Yuan. Several days passed, and still no word.
Finally, when they could hardly wait any longer, a particularly plump and round pigeon lazily flew back. It had a message capsule tied to its leg.
The righteous sect members were puzzled by the unusually plump pigeon and began to open the message capsule.
However, as soon as they released the message capsule, the chubby pigeon flapped its wings and flew away, showing no intention of staying.
The righteous sect members paid little attention to the departing pigeon. Their excitement grew as they unfolded the note inside the capsule.
The note contained just one line:
“Preparations are ready, proceed with the attack.”
The chubby pigeon, which had flown away, wobbled its way back behind Gu Yang’s sleeping quarters and willingly entered its cage. It immediately buried itself in the feeding bowl and began to eat.
Compared to being a diligent and hardworking carrier pigeon, it seemed this pigeon would much rather be a lazy one!
Isn’t it nice to be lazy? Isn’t it enjoyable to be lazy?
Someone else would provide the food without the need to work!
The plump pigeon devoured its food with gusto, squeezing its way in among the other pigeons and enjoying its feast.
Gu Yang saw the pigeon return and filled the pigeons’ feeding bowl with more food.
Coming out of the room, Fan Yuan also noticed the chubby pigeon and asked:
“It’s back?”
Gu Yang nodded and was about to pounce on Fan Yuan, saying:
“Yeah, it’s back. We can get ready to watch the show.”
Seeing him coming, Fan Yuan instinctively opened his arms to catch Gu Yang.
However, in the midst of his playful leap, Gu Yang suddenly remembered their ongoing competition of “who can resist first.” He halted in his tracks.
Fan Yuan seemed to realize this too, and he lowered his outstretched arms.
Annoyed, Gu Yang kicked a small pebble with the tip of his foot. The look in Fan Yuan’s eyes seemed to hold a teasing hook, tugging at him to come forward, yet not taking a step himself.
It had been several days since they last indulged in kisses and embraces. Although they still spent every day together, only being able to look but not touch constantly intensified the tantalizing frustration.
Fan Yuan’s hands, hanging by his sides, fidgeted slightly. His fingertips brushed against each other, devoid of the warmth that Gu Yang’s touch used to impart.
The two of them stood on the edge, each stubbornly refusing to give in, engaged in this childish contest.
And then came the day when the righteous sect launched their concentrated attack on the demonic cult.
Countless members of the righteous sect gathered under banners proclaiming “Exterminate Evil and Uphold Justice,” surrounding the demonic cult’s headquarters. To their surprise, the gates of the demonic cult were wide open, with no defenders in sight.
Looking inside, it seemed as if there was nobody there either.
The leader of the righteous sect was a middle-aged man who exuded an aura of wisdom and virtue. He had a goatee and stood at the entrance of the wide-open demonic cult gates, stroking his beard thoughtfully.
Someone next to him asked:
“Elder, could this be a trap?”
Just then, a pigeon flew in lazily, still plump to the point where it could hardly fly.
Halfway through its flight, the pigeon landed on the ground and casually walked over.
The leader of the righteous sect bent down, removed the message capsule from the pigeon’s leg, and the pigeon immediately flapped its wings again, flying a short distance above the ground before settling back into a walk. It swiftly turned around and headed back.
At this moment, the righteous sect members had no interest in observing the fate of the pigeon. They were eager to know what the message contained.
The note had only a short sentence:
“The entire cult is poisoned, no one is guarding, proceed.”
Upon seeing this line, cheers erupted among the ranks of the righteous sect members. They gathered together and immediately charged into the depths of the cult’s premises.
It can only be said that Fan Yuan’s reputation among the righteous sect members was exceptional. Coupled with the rumors circulating in the martial world, depicting him enduring humiliation and torment from the cult leader day and night, his persona had been elevated to heroic proportions.
Enduring torture while paving the way for their attack, he became a tragic and inspiring figure. Hence, no one doubted that Fan Yuan would betray them.
The righteous sect members marched boldly and confidently, all the way to the center of the cult’s premises. There, they found all the cult members gathered, watching them calmly, and it was evident that they were not affected by any poison.
Their most trusted undercover agent, Fan Yuan, was bound to a chair, flanked by the cult’s protectors.
Gu Yang stood before the cult members in his red attire, hands behind his back, a smile playing on his lips, as he watched the righteous sect members approach.
“You’ve finally arrived.”
The leader with the goatee frowned slightly, realizing they had fallen into a trap.
Suddenly, Gu Yang raised his arm, his fingertip holding a delicate key.
“You’ve gone to great lengths for this, haven’t you? All for the sake of this little key?”
Upon seeing the key in Gu Yang’s hand, a wave of commotion swept through the ranks of the righteous sect members, silenced only by an angry shout from the goatee leader.
Although the goatee leader wore a white robe and projected an air of virtue, his narrowed eyes gave off a villainous vibe.
“May I inquire why the cult leader has brought forth this key… What is the intention behind it?”
Gu Yang chuckled lightly, then let go of the key, allowing it to fall.
The key, seemingly crafted from jade, shattered into pieces upon hitting the ground.
As the righteous sect members saw the key plummet, cries of alarm echoed through the crowd. They lunged forward to retrieve it.
And so, the grand spectacle began.
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