After the Stand-in Hugged the White Moonlight's Thigh Tightly - Chapter 24

Chapter 24: “Not Jealous”

The two returned to their dwelling together.

Song Chenxi looked around and said: “Was the house rebuilt?”

It was burned down by the fire; how could it not be rebuilt?

Ruan Mingyu didn’t tell him the truth, saying: “It’s old; naturally, it needed repairs.”

The room still had only one bed. Now that both of them were much taller than decades ago, sleeping in one bed would likely be very crowded. Ruan Mingyu glanced at Song Chenxi, thinking that Song Chenxi might actually have to sleep on the roof beam tonight, as Song Chenxi had just returned, and it wouldn’t be right to ask him to do so.

Song Chenxi knew what he was thinking with one look. He said: “Don’t worry, I won’t sleep with you tonight. I have my master’s lodging; I’ll go back and sleep there.”

So, was the only reason he had squeezed onto the same bed before purely because it was comfortable to squeeze with Ruan Mingyu?

Ruan Mingyu asked: “What about your things?”

Song Chenxi: “If you want them, they’re yours. If you don’t like them, throw them away.”

He didn’t need to throw anything away; most of it had already turned to ash…

Song Chenxi remembered what Ruan Mingyu had said earlier: “When are you going down the mountain? Didn’t you want to buy spiritual land and let me advise you?”

That was just something Ruan Mingyu had blurted out to separate him and Shen Yanyuan, but he hadn’t expected Song Chenxi to take it seriously. However, Ruan Mingyu genuinely planned to buy some, so he said: “Tomorrow?”

Song Chenxi nodded: “Fine, I’ll come and call for you tomorrow.”

Before leaving, Song Chenxi said some inexplicable things that Ruan Mingyu didn’t understand. He said: “My Master is not in the sect right now. When he returns, I’ll take you to him and have him preside over [our ceremony]. My heart is very small. If you choose me, don’t harbor thoughts about anyone else.”

He smiled rather sinisterly, just like in Ruan Mingyu’s dream: “Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might do.”

Ruan Mingyu’s face wrinkled up. He knew every word, but why couldn’t he understand the meaning?

The next day, Song Chenxi came to call for him early.

Ruan Mingyu was still having trouble waking up, just like before.

Song Chenxi lifted his blanket and pulled him out.

“Little Sparrow, time to get up.”

Ruan Mingyu groggily opened his eyes. He smelled a sandalwood fragrance, the very scent Shen Yanyuan liked to burn in his room. For a moment, he didn’t realize who was there and said: “Shen Yanyuan, what are you doing in my bed?”

“Shen Yanyuan?” Ruan Mingyu felt his chin being pinched. “Take a good look at who I am.”

Ruan Mingyu instantly woke up. Seeing that it was Song Chenxi, his heart dropped. I’m done for!

Song Chenxi’s face was terrifyingly glum: “Why did you mistake me for him? What did he do to you?”

Ruan Mingyu quickly said: “No, no, no. I smelled a sandalwood scent, that’s why I made a mistake.”

Song Chenxi had specifically brought a sachet for Ruan Mingyu, but now he didn’t want to give it to him anymore.

He smiled thinly and mockingly, his finger stroking Ruan Mingyu’s cheek. He leaned in, almost face-to-face with him: “Mingyu, look at me carefully. Don’t mistake the person again.”

Ruan Mingyu’s heart skipped two beats from his sudden closeness. An inexplicable emotion welled up. He quickly shook his head to stay clear-headed and looked at him pleadingly: “Senior Brother, I was still half-asleep. Please don’t blame me for mistaking the person.”

Song Chenxi coldly dragged him off the bed: “Get dressed and go down the mountain.”

On the way down the mountain, Ruan Mingyu actively tried to talk to Song Chenxi, but Song Chenxi looked like he was in a terribly unpleasant mood.

Ruan Mingyu said: “Senior Brother, don’t be angry anymore. I’ll treat you to whatever you want to eat later.”

Song Chenxi glanced back at him: “I’m not angry.”

Ruan Mingyu: “Then why are you ignoring me?”

Song Chenxi: “I’m not ignoring you.”

Ruan Mingyu: “Then speak normally.”

Song Chenxi’s anger had actually subsided quite a bit. His lips curved slightly: “I am speaking normally.”

Ruan Mingyu: “…”

Nutcase!

Ruan Mingyu no longer wanted to talk to him. Although he had a good temper, he wasn’t without one, so he walked ahead in a huff.

Song Chenxi reverted to his old method of coaxing Ruan Mingyu. Passing a restaurant, he asked Ruan Mingyu: “Want some braised pig trotters?”

“No.”

“Want some chestnut duck?”

“No.”

“West Lake Sour Fish.”

“I’m not sour/jealous.”

Song Chenxi grabbed his hand, showing a rare, serious expression: “I am jealous.”

Ruan Mingyu was suddenly grabbed, his whole body stiffened, and he quickly pulled his hand back.

Why did he suddenly say that? Did Song Chenxi even know what he was doing! Ruan Mingyu stammered: “Fine, I’m not mad at you, and you’re not allowed to be mad at me either…”

Starting a conversation and then grabbing his hand—it was too terrifying!

The town at the foot of the mountain had recently become more crowded. There were cultivators everywhere, and the streets were jammed with people.

Ruan Mingyu wondered why there were so many people. Song Chenxi said at his side: “The Centennial Immortal Sect Grand Competition is approaching.”

Ruan Mingyu asked: “How long until then?”

Song Chenxi: “One year.”

Ruan Mingyu was about to say that it was too early for people to arrive, but then he remembered that time in the cultivation world was cheap, so arriving ten years in advance was not uncommon.

The two arrived at the agency. There were specialized agencies for buying and selling spiritual land. Not just any plot of land could be called spiritual land; the soil had to contain abundant spiritual energy to grow the herbs needed for refining elixirs.

As the number of people coming to the town increased, the price of spiritual land also rose. Ruan Mingyu went to the agency, stated his approximate budget, and asked the intermediary to show them around.

After looking at two or three places, he wasn’t satisfied. Either the price was too high, or the spiritual energy was too thin, or the soil was not fertile enough. Finally, they arrived at a location on the outskirts of the small town, outside a very remote medical clinic.

The place was dilapidated, and the plaque was chipped.

Ruan Mingyu asked: “I’m buying spiritual land. Why are we at a medical clinic?”

The intermediary said: “This medical clinic was previously owned by a highly respected old physician. He passed away two years ago, and since he had no descendants, this place was put up for sale. The spiritual land is in the backyard; there’s a large plot of land behind the clinic.”

Since it hadn’t sold in two years, there was probably something fishy about the place.

The intermediary led him to the backyard: “Look, such a big plot of land. You can plant whatever you want.”

The soil here was barren, and the spiritual energy was thin. The saying, ‘You get what you pay for,’ was certainly true. Ruan Mingyu looked and shook his head. His budget was quite sufficient; there was no need to settle.

Song Chenxi asked him: “Not looking anymore?”

Ruan Mingyu: “I haven’t seen anything suitable.”

As the two were leaving, a woman stopped Ruan Mingyu, preventing him from walking. Holding a child, she knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.

Ruan Mingyu asked: “What’s wrong?”

The woman held the child and cried: “Kind doctor, please save my child.”

Ruan Mingyu didn’t think much of it. He knelt down to check the child’s pulse. The child’s face was flushed, his high fever wouldn’t break, and his lips were already black. Ruan Mingyu determined that he wouldn’t live for more than two days.

If he hadn’t encountered the situation, he could have ignored it, but fate had put it in his path.

Song Chenxi pulled him away. There were countless people suffering in the world; he didn’t care about other people’s affairs.

Ruan Mingyu took two steps, thought about it, and then turned back to the woman and said: “Wait for me here at this time tomorrow.”

Then, Ruan Mingyu quickly found an inn with a pill furnace where he could refine elixirs. The ingredients required for this batch of elixirs were quite precious, and buying the materials alone cost a considerable amount.

“Are you still buying spiritual land?” Song Chenxi asked.

“Let’s see if there’s any money left. If there is, we’ll talk about it. Exchanging a plot of land for a child’s life is actually quite worth it,” Ruan Mingyu said.

“If you think it’s worth it, then it’s worth it.”

“Don’t the books say cultivators should care about the world?”

“I don’t want to be an immortal.”

Ruan Mingyu didn’t care what Song Chenxi thought, as it was Song Chenxi’s own choice. Ruan Mingyu busied himself in the inn, refining the elixir overnight, managing to complete it within a day.

However, with the money remaining, buying a good piece of spiritual land would be difficult.

Ruan Mingyu gave the elixir to the woman at the agreed time the next day. The woman, thinking he was the old physician’s disciple, kept thanking him using the old physician’s name.

“Thank you, Doctor Zhao. My son and I will never forget your great kindness!”

“Hurry and find some water, and let the child take it.”

After the woman left, Song Chenxi said: “See? You did a good deed, but you weren’t even thanked for it.”

“It doesn’t matter. At least a child survived because of it. That’s a good outcome.”

“You certainly have a broad perspective.”

“I always have.”