After the Stand-in Hugged the White Moonlight's Thigh Tightly - Chapter 17

Chapter 17: “Junior Brother is best at making me happy.”

Ruan Mingyu now spent his days refining elixirs with Senior Sister and the “Embroidery Senior Brother.” He was sweet-mouthed and friendly, quickly getting along well with them.

Both Ruan Mingyu and Song Chenxi called Cen Tao “Senior Sister,” but only the Embroidery Senior Brother called her by her name.

Ruan Mingyu asked her why.

Senior Sister said: “Because we ascended the mountain on the same day, neither of us would concede to the other. He refused to call me Senior Sister, and I refused to call him Senior Brother, so we just call each other by name.”

Ji Ying interrupted: “What are you two talking about? Hurry up and refine the pills.”

Ji Ying was not as easygoing as the Senior Sister, but he wasn’t a bad person.

Cen Tao: “We’re talking about why we don’t call each other Senior Brother or Senior Sister. Why so serious? Come chat with us. Refining pills alone is so boring.”

The truth was, they wouldn’t normally be this busy. They were refining pills day and night because a Heaven-Grade secret realm was about to open, and the disciples in the sect were counting on their elixirs for protection.

“We refine so many pills every day, do we earn a lot of spiritual stones?” Ruan Mingyu asked curiously.

Senior Sister: “We only earn a lot if we sell them to others. For the other disciples in our sect, we just break even. Don’t materials, spiritual treasures, and heavenly resources cost money?”

Senior Sister chatted with him while refining: “Junior Brother, it’s been about three or four years since you joined the sect, right? Are you twenty this year?”

Ruan Mingyu: “Next year.”

Senior Sister: “Youth is a blessing. Let me see, Song Chenxi’s birthday is around the Spring Equinox, so he’s only one or two years older than you.”

Ruan Mingyu: “Really? I thought he was a couple of hundred years older than me.”

“Senior Disciple Brother’s actions really don’t match his age. Junior Disciple Brother is simpler and cuter. But you should learn more from him; it’s good to be cautious in everything. We people on Yuantai Peak are too honest and kind-hearted; we always get fooled.”

“Fooled out of what?” Ruan Mingyu asked.

Ji Ying coughed: “Still talking? The elixirs are almost ruined.”

Senior Sister glanced at Ji Ying, smiled, and didn’t continue the conversation.

Not long after, Ruan Mingyu felt something furry under his feet. The fear of being dominated by rats in the cave instantly returned, and he was so scared that he immediately retreated two steps.

Looking closely, he saw it was a black cat, the same one he had first seen perched on Senior Sister’s shoulder, not moving or running.

The cat treated Ruan Mingyu like a pillar, circling him, and then poof, jumped onto his head and sat down.

Senior Sister said: “Little Hei seems to really like you.”

Ruan Mingyu dared not move. He was always afraid of these furry creatures. His neck stiffened as he said to Senior Sister: “Senior Sister, please get this little fellow off my head.”

“Don’t worry, our Little Hei doesn’t bite,” Senior Sister said.

The black cat seemed to know Ruan Mingyu was afraid of it and deliberately played a trick, jumping onto his shoulder and wrapping its tail around his neck, looking like a cat scarf.

Ruan Mingyu was on the verge of tears. He wanted to ask Senior Sister to hold the cat, but when he turned around, Senior Sister was gone, having run off somewhere.

Ruan Mingyu ran out, trying to hug the cat off his neck. The cat seemed very satisfied with its position on his shoulder and refused to leave. Ruan Mingyu didn’t dare touch it and pleaded: “Great Cat King, please let me go down. I’ll steal a chicken for you from the kitchen later.”

The Great King Little Hei flicked its tail, completely ignoring the chattering human.

He bumped right into Song Chenxi. Ruan Mingyu rushed over as if he had found his savior, his voice trembling: “Senior Brother, cat!”

Before he finished speaking, Song Chenxi understood his intention and went over to take the cat down.

Ruan Mingyu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling relieved. Song Chenxi held the cat in the manner one would hold an infant.

“Coward. Being afraid of rats is one thing, but you’re afraid of cats too.”

He tried to show the cat to Ruan Mingyu, but Ruan Mingyu backed away.

“It won’t bite you, what are you afraid of?”

“Bite me or not, I’m still afraid.”

Song Chenxi played with the cat for a while, occasionally pretending to make Ruan Mingyu hold the cat. After provoking Ruan Mingyu to the point where tears were almost welling up, he finally stopped teasing him, let the Great Cat King go, and let it play by itself.

Song Chenxi reached out and patted Ruan Mingyu’s shoulder. Ruan Mingyu wasn’t sure what he was doing and tilted his head to dodge.

Song Chenxi gestured for him to look up, indicating there was still cat hair left behind.

Ruan Mingyu then stopped, allowing him to brush the hair off.

Song Chenxi was truly a troublemaker, always teasing him.

He dared not say this out loud, and with a façade of fraternal harmony, he asked: “Senior Brother, are you going to the secret realm too?”

Song Chenxi: “Why do you ask?”

Ruan Mingyu: “Can’t I just ask? I’m concerned about Senior Brother.”

Song Chenxi looked at him, and after a long moment, smiled: “You’re trying to figure out when I’ll leave so you can have the bed all to yourself.”

Ruan Mingyu: “No way.”

Song Chenxi: “Soon. In about half a xun [five days], you’ll have the bed to yourself.”

He suddenly added: “Do you want to go to the secret realm with me?”

Ruan Mingyu shook his head like a rattle. According to the plot in the book, he would go to the secret realm with Song Chenxi, not for cultivation like everyone else, but to find an opportunity to eliminate his love rival, Song Chenxi. He would ultimately fail and suffer the consequence of being poisoned by something incurable.

Song Chenxi chuckled and hummed: “Fine, don’t go.”

Time passed quietly, and several days went by without notice.

Today was the Spring Equinox, and Ruan Mingyu remembered Senior Sister mentioning that Song Chenxi’s birthday was around the Spring Equinox.

Ruan Mingyu went down the mountain early and bought two huge longevity peach buns. He had originally wanted to make a cake, but he realized he didn’t know how.

In the evening, he returned early and placed the longevity buns on the table, sticking two small candles into them.

Song Chenxi returned to the room, which was unlit. He assumed Ruan Mingyu had gone to bed, but when he entered, he realized this wasn’t the case; Ruan Mingyu’s breathing clearly indicated he wasn’t asleep. What was he up to?

As soon as Song Chenxi entered, Ruan Mingyu lit the candles on the longevity buns and said to him: “Senior Brother, where I come from, we eat cake on our birthdays.” He didn’t bother to explain what a cake was, and added, “Eating longevity buns is the same.”

Was it his birthday today? Song Chenxi himself couldn’t remember. He had never celebrated a birthday in all his years on the mountain. Firstly, as a cultivator, his concept of worldly affairs was weak. Secondly, he himself couldn’t remember when his birthday was.

Ruan Mingyu said to him: “Senior Brother, blow out the candles.”

Why stick a candle on a longevity bun? Song Chenxi didn’t know why, but he did as he was told. The candles were extinguished, and the room was plunged back into darkness.

Then he heard Ruan Mingyu’s voice: “Senior Brother, Happy Birthday!”

In the darkness, his gaze was fixed on Ruan Mingyu. Seeing him remain still for a long time, Ruan Mingyu stretched out his hand and waved it in front of his eyes.

“Senior Brother?”

He leaned forward, resting his head on Ruan Mingyu’s shoulder, and hugged him tightly with both arms.

His arms tightened continuously.

He was hugging too tightly, making it hard for Ruan Mingyu to breathe. He gently patted Song Chenxi’s back but felt something wet on his own face.

“Did you cry?”

Song Chenxi reached his hand up to Ruan Mingyu’s back of the head, caressing his hair, his voice laced with a smile.

“No, stop talking nonsense.”

Ruan Mingyu freed one hand to relight the candle. He held the candle in front of his eyes and saw that Song Chenxi’s eyes were red, with tears glistening in them.

Ruan Mingyu looked as if he had discovered a new continent: “You said you’ve never cried before. You’re a liar.”

“Ruan Mingyu, you are truly interesting. No one has ever remembered my birthday.”

Although he really didn’t want to admit it, he was largely helped by Song Chenxi to escape from Shen Yanyuan and become a Seven Stars Sect disciple.

He said: “I am very grateful to you for helping me escape the cage. I, Ruan Mingyu, am a grateful person. If someone treats me with one measure of kindness, although I can’t repay them tenfold, I can still repay them with two measures.”

Song Chenxi was not as touched as before: “Just to repay a debt of gratitude?”

Ruan Mingyu immediately amended: “I just wanted to celebrate Senior Brother’s birthday, nothing else.”

Song Chenxi chuckled: “Truly my Junior Brother, best at making me happy.”

Ruan Mingyu said: “Birthdays should be happy.”

Song Chenxi looked deeply at him and murmured softly: “Ruan Mingyu, you are really skilled at manipulating hearts.”

…

A few days later, Song Chenxi was due to leave for the secret realm.

He packed his belongings and was ready to depart. Before leaving, he said to Ruan Mingyu: “I don’t even know when I’ll be back after I go. You don’t need to worry about what Shen Yanyuan will do to you after I leave. You are also a disciple of Seven Stars Sect, and Yuantai Peak is your sanctuary. If he comes out and forces himself on you, just come back and cry to me when I return. If I go soft-hearted, I might just fight him and steal you back.”

Ruan Mingyu knew he was joking: “Go on, don’t worry about me.”

Song Chenxi’s words belied his true feelings: “Who’s worrying about you?”

Ruan Mingyu saw him off at the door: “Then go quickly. The bed is mine now.”

Song Chenxi shook his head: “The ungrateful little sparrow.” He summoned his flying sword, ready to leave.

Ruan Mingyu watched Song Chenxi ascend into the air, waved at him, and shouted: “Have a safe journey, Senior Brother! Don’t miss me too much!”

Song Chenxi looked back at him, a smile on his lips, and flew away on his sword.