After the Stand-in Hugged the White Moonlight's Thigh Tightly - Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Call me Senior Brother or Brother?

The person before him had a face like jade, and his gaze was as gentle as water. Contradictorily, when he looked at Ruan Mingyu, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed, carrying a hint of mockery and a subtle wickedness that did not befit a righteous cultivator.

Several strands of black demonic energy lingered around him. If he were a naturally born demon, he would typically have red patterns on his face, but his face was flawless, suggesting that this was a technique he cultivated.

Wearing white robes and having a face that somewhat resembled his own, Ruan Mingyu was certain that the person before him was Song Chenxi. However, the White Moonlight in the book was a Saintly Father with a very good temper. Why was he like this now?

Ruan Mingyu felt a sense of dread and turned to escape, but he was pinned down by a hand on his shoulder, unable to move.

“Where are you going?”

Ruan Mingyu felt a murderous intent.

He played dumb, his voice choked with sobs: “Senior Brother, I didn’t see anything…” Ruan Mingyu suddenly pinched his arm, forcing himself to cry and look more pathetic.

The person, however, used his fingertip to wipe away Ruan Mingyu’s tears, coaxing him softly: “Crying like this, if others see you, they might think I’m bullying you.”

Although the tone was very gentle, Ruan Mingyu felt a chill down his spine.

“Calling me Senior Brother? Your cultivation is so low. Are you a disciple of my sect?” He rubbed Ruan Mingyu’s face ambiguously, “Or are you a kept boy of some disciple, secretly brought up the mountain?”

Ruan Mingyu had intended to pretend to be a Seven Stars Sect disciple, hoping he would still show some camaraderie, but he was easily seen through.

To survive, the only thing he could do now was to make the person in front of him feel he posed no threat.

Ruan Mingyu’s long eyelashes were wet with tears. He seemed too scared to speak, only weeping incessantly.

Song Chenxi smiled slightly, his finger tracing Ruan Mingyu’s collarbone: “Trying to use a honey trap on me? Do you think crying will make me pity you?”

“Senior Brother… I truly didn’t see anything. Please let me go.”

“Still calling me Senior Brother? Don’t call me that if you’re not a disciple of my sect.”

Ruan Mingyu immediately changed his address: “Brother, I was just passing by…” He trembled all over, shaking non-stop.

“Passing by such a remote place? Very clever.” Feeling the person under him tremble, Song Chenxi chuckled, “Good brother, don’t be so nervous.”

He grabbed Ruan Mingyu’s chin and carefully examined him, saying: “I heard Shen Yanyuan brought back a beautiful young man. Is that you?”

“Perhaps I should change my address and call you Sister-in-law?”

His gaze was like a poisonous snake, licking Ruan Mingyu.

Ruan Mingyu cried even harder, looking weak and easily bullied. He glanced at Song Chenxi out of the corner of his eye, paying attention to his every move. If worse came to worst, he would fight him.

He was actually betting, betting that Song Chenxi didn’t want to kill him that badly.

Fortunately, he won the bet.

A look of derision appeared on Song Chenxi’s gorgeous face: “Stop crying. I wouldn’t bother killing someone like you.”

Along with the movement of his raised hand, Ruan Mingyu lost consciousness.

The moment he fell into darkness, Ruan Mingyu had only one thought: he didn’t want to die like this.

…

Although Song Chenxi did not kill him, he did not take him with him either.

Whether he would survive a night in the ice and snow was entirely up to Ruan Mingyu’s fortune.

The next day, Ruan Mingyu woke up in a bed. His mind was blank, as if he had lost a segment of memory. He remembered crossing the birch forest to break the enchantment, but what happened after that?

He tried hard to recall. Suddenly, his head throbbed, making him break out in a cold sweat. It took a while for the pain to subside, and then the missing memories rushed back.

He remembered everything that happened last night!

This meant that Song Chenxi was a demonic cultivator, and to prevent his secret from being exposed, he had erased Ruan Mingyu’s memory.

Wait, was this part of the plot in the book? Why couldn’t Ruan Mingyu remember it? It seemed the reality differed slightly from the book’s plot.

Xiaowei came in. Seeing Ruan Mingyu awake, she quickly shouted outside: “Revered Master, Young Master Ruoyue is awake!”

Ruan Mingyu quickly urged Xiaowei to be quiet, but it was too late.

Shen Yanyuan entered the room and sat on Ruan Mingyu’s bedside. His chiseled face showed no emotion. He wore a set of black robes, which he hadn’t even had time to change, and they still bore bloodstains from his recent experience.

Xiaowei said: “Young Master Ruoyue, the Revered Master carried you back from the snow last night. You wouldn’t wake up no matter how much anyone called you. Everyone was frightened!”

Shen Yanyuan waved his hand, dismissing Xiaowei. Only he and Ruan Mingyu remained in the room.

Shen Yanyuan was a typical Sword Cultivator, as cold as his sword. He did not ask Ruan Mingyu where he had gone or what he was doing. He only told him: “I have reinforced the barrier. No outsiders will be able to enter again.”

A feeling of powerlessness instantly swept over Ruan Mingyu. Was he to be imprisoned here for the rest of his life? Shen Yanyuan must have known what he was doing.

Shen Yanyuan took out an exquisite bracelet and put it on Ruan Mingyu’s wrist: “With this magical artifact, you will no longer fear the cold of winter or the heat of summer, and I will be able to find you wherever you go.”

Isn’t that just a tracking device? Ruan Mingyu squeezed his voice out from between his teeth: “Thank you, Revered Master—”

Shen Yanyuan scrutinized him. He was still young and beautiful, but there was a lack of joy in his expression when interacting with him: “You’ve changed. You don’t resemble him at all anymore.”

Ruan Mingyu remained silent. He desperately wanted to kill him with a single sword stroke and break free from this cage.

He and Shen Yanyuan sat in silence. Shen Yanyuan did not press the issue. He stood up and tucked Ruan Mingyu in, “I won’t leave again after this return. I will go into seclusion in the cave dwelling on Lu Peak. The entrance is not restricted to you; you can see me whenever you wish.”

Upon hearing this news, Ruan Mingyu could no longer remain calm. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at him: “How long will you be in seclusion?”

His voice was cold, devoid of any emotion: “A minimum of ten years, a maximum of a hundred.”

Ruan Mingyu’s sanity was on the brink of collapse. He had always been kind and optimistic, but at this moment, he couldn’t help but become hysterical: “I don’t have that much time to waste with you!”

Shen Yanyuan took out a medicine bottle and placed it in his palm: “A mortal’s lifespan is indeed short. You need not fear. Take the medicine on time; a hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye.”

Ruan Mingyu roared: “That’s not what I want!”

Shen Yanyuan lowered his eyes, masking his emotions: “When I emerge from seclusion, I will go anywhere you wish with you.”

This was completely irrelevant to what he was saying!

Ruan Mingyu was not Ruoyue; he had no affection for Shen Yanyuan. Shen Yanyuan, however, thought he was just throwing a tantrum like before. He reached out to gently caress his face as a gesture of comfort.

However, Ruan Mingyu turned his head and dodged. Shen Yanyuan’s hand froze in mid-air, and a hint of inquiry entered his icy gaze.

“Very well, rest properly.” He was never good at communication. After speaking, he prepared to leave, giving Ruan Mingyu space to calm down.

He hadn’t walked two steps when his sleeve was pulled. Shen Yanyuan’s eyes shifted. He looked down at Ruan Mingyu: “Ruoyue, what else is it?”

Ruan Mingyu pleaded: “Will you let me go? Since I don’t look like the White Moonlight in your heart at all, please let me go? If I stay here any longer, I’ll go crazy!”

Shen Yanyuan was stunned. He had never been so outwardly angry. His face remained calm, but his heart was in turmoil. The person he brought back actually wanted to leave him!

He pulled his sleeve out of Ruan Mingyu’s grasp: “Absolutely impossible.”

Overwhelming hatred spread from the bottom of Ruan Mingyu’s heart.

He hated his own weakness and incompetence, and even more, he hated Shen Yanyuan’s unreasonableness.

If that’s the case, then don’t blame him for resorting to any means necessary to achieve his goal.

During this period before seclusion, Shen Yanyuan came to accompany Ruoyue every day.

Ruan Mingyu acted as if nothing had happened. He imitated the White Moonlight in Shen Yanyuan’s heart, wearing white robes and feigning gentleness.

Shen Yanyuan looked at him, wanting to speak but holding back.

Ruan Mingyu didn’t care about anything anymore; as long as he could break free from control, he was willing to do anything.

Actually, the most straightforward way was to kill Shen Yanyuan, but achieving that goal was quite difficult.

But he had to try. What if he succeeded?

Ruan Mingyu held a cup of tea in front of Shen Yanyuan: “Revered Master, Ruoyue personally brewed this tea for you.” It was water infused with oleander, hoping to poison him.

Shen Yanyuan took it and drank it in one gulp without changing his expression. After finishing, he said: “Ruoyue, that alone won’t kill me.”

Ruan Mingyu hadn’t expected to succeed immediately. If it didn’t work this time, there was always next time.

Shen Yanyuan then said: “I will go into seclusion tomorrow. You don’t need to bring tea anymore.”

Ruan Mingyu nodded with a strained smile, plotting other plans in his mind.

…

Shen Yanyuan went into seclusion.

Ruan Mingyu continued to visit the birch forest as before. The enchantment was still there, and given time, he could still breach the weakest point.

However, even if he escaped this way, he couldn’t escape Shen Yanyuan’s control.

Ruan Mingyu raised his wrist. The bracelet on his wrist simply wouldn’t come off. What method could he possibly use to completely break free from Shen Yanyuan?

The birch forest was located on the very edge of the Seven Stars Sect. Since Song Chenxi chose to cultivate there, he might come again.

Maybe he has a solution?

Ruan Mingyu staked out the place for a long time, finally waiting for him to arrive in the second month.

He was still cultivating near the ice spring. Ruan Mingyu rushed straight up, disregarding all pretense, and hugged Song Chenxi’s thigh without letting go: “Brother, please help me.”

Song Chenxi froze, then chuckled and lifted Ruan Mingyu’s chin with the hilt of his sword: “Are you talking to me? You remember me?”

Ruan Mingyu met his mocking eyes, fearlessly facing his scrutinizing gaze: “Brother, I remember everything. You wouldn’t want me to talk, right? Please help me—”

“Interesting. It seems you were lying to me the first time we met,” Song Chenxi changed to grasping his neck with his hand. He lowered his voice, “No one has ever dared to threaten me.”

Ruan Mingyu wasn’t afraid of him at all. The thing he feared most now was being stuck on Lu Peak for the rest of his life.

“Well, here I am now, aren’t I?”

Song Chenxi narrowed his eyes, and the hand gripping Ruan Mingyu’s neck gradually tightened: “Do you think just because Shen Yanyuan is backing you up, I wouldn’t dare kill you?”

Ruan Mingyu struggled to breathe, but a smile remained on his face: “I’ve left letters for the Sect Leader, several elders in the sect, and Shen Yanyuan. They should all receive them tomorrow.”

Song Chenxi raised an eyebrow: “You think I’m afraid of you?”

Ruan Mingyu countered by persuading him: “Brother, why make trouble when you don’t have to? What I’m asking for isn’t a big deal. I don’t care what you cultivate. Brother, help me this one time, and I can swear an Oath of the Spiritual Word that if I ever tell your secret, I will be ground to dust and die a miserable death.”

Song Chenxi watched his performance with a smirk: “Your acting is quite good. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such a brilliant performance, but—”

“What makes you think I’ll help you? Do you really think a few letters can expose me?”

After all that, he still hadn’t conceded. It seemed Ruan Mingyu was wasting his breath. If this path didn’t work, he’d try another. Although Ruan Mingyu could immediately soften his stance to achieve his goal, he wouldn’t waste his time begging for something that yielded no results.

He abruptly let go of Song Chenxi’s thigh, patted his backside, and stood up to leave.

Song Chenxi, however, called out to him: “Stop.”

Ruan Mingyu was not being polite now, saying lazily: “Do you need something else?”

Song Chenxi smiled: “I never said I wouldn’t help you. What do you want me to help you with? Tell me.”