After the Stand-in Hugged the White Moonlight's Thigh Tightly - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: “Just Like You”

After all the back and forth, Ruan Mingyu finally bought the large spirit field behind the medical hall.

Mainly, his remaining spirit stones were only enough to buy this plot of land. However, on second thought, buying the spirit field came with a free medical hall—a profitable deal.

Ruan Mingyu used a shovel to clear the weeds from the field.

Song Chenxi, standing nearby, suddenly changed his expression and said, “Go wait somewhere else.”

Ruan Mingyu: “What’s wrong?”

Song Chenxi: “I smell a demonic presence.”

Ruan Mingyu paused, immediately dropped the shovel, and cautiously retreated behind Song Chenxi.

“Senior Brother, I’m counting on you.”

“Now you remember my good side,” Song Chenxi chuckled lightly. “Little Sparrow, you really are heartless.”

“Senior Brother is mighty and invincible, boundless in magic power, and triumphs in every battle,” Ruan Mingyu complimented. “I’ll follow Senior Brother from now on.”

“Fine, your Senior Brother will cover you.”

Song Chenxi stepped forward and cast a spell on the spirit field. He drew a magic array in the air, and several golden lights enveloped the field. Then, he lazily commanded, “Demon, get out. You have to move today; my Junior Brother needs this place.”

Before long, a small girl, seemingly seven or eight years old, emerged from the soil.

She wore two twin buns, crossed her arms, and puffed up her face. “Grandma has lived here for over a hundred years. You think you can just kick me out? This is my home. Even if you call Old Man Zhao, it won’t work.”

The “Old Man” she spoke of was the previous owner of the medical hall, the recently deceased Zhao Ziping.

Song Chenxi didn’t want to waste time arguing. He drew his sword, ready to fight her head-on.

Ruan Mingyu stopped his hand. “Hold on. Violence is bad. Let me try first. If we can talk her into moving, that might be better.”

Ruan Mingyu walked over with a smile, pulling a piece of candy from his pocket for her. “Little sister, have a candy first.”

“Hmph, foolish mortal, I won’t eat it,” Yueya said defiantly.

Ruan Mingyu peeled one, popped it into his mouth, and deliberately spoke loudly, “Oh, it’s so sweet.” He then put another one into Song Chenxi’s hand. “Senior Brother, you try one too.”

Ruan Mingyu: “Is it sweet?”

Song Chenxi smiled: “Very sweet.”

Yueya, despite her words, watched them eagerly. Ruan Mingyu dangled the candy in front of her, and she impatiently snatched one to eat.

Ruan Mingyu stood to the side, gently persuading her. “I want to plant some brothers, sisters, and friends here to keep you company. If I’m not mistaken, you should be a grass or tree spirit. If you agree, you’ll have candy every day.”

Yueya said, “It’s not up to you. You have to ask Zhao Ziping.”

“Oh, him? He went to a very, very far place, and probably can’t answer your question,” Ruan Mingyu said.

“He left?” Yueya froze. “Did he die! He’s such a fool. I told him he could prolong his life by slicing and eating my main body—the ginseng—but he wouldn’t listen. That idiot, idiot, big idiot!”

She looked at Ruan Mingyu. “Tell me, did he die?” She desperately hoped for a negative answer, but Ruan Mingyu nodded.

“He died?” She suddenly let out a piercing laugh. Immediately, numerous root-like plant tendrils shot out from underground, densely covering the surrounding area, leaving not a single gap.

“I’m telling you, no one is allowed to touch this spirit field. This was his wish! Get out of this medical hall! I will not let you touch anything that belonged to him!”

Song Chenxi quickly grabbed Ruan Mingyu by the back of his collar and flew backward. The tentacle-like roots chased them relentlessly, determined to drive them out of the medical hall.

Song Chenxi lifted him, tossed him onto the relatively safe roof, and then summoned his treasured sword, “Blood Shadow,” to engage the demon.

The demon had several hundred years of cultivation. It transformed from a little girl into a seductive woman, with numerous vines growing from her body, flying and attacking them.

Song Chenxi charged into the vines with his sword, but was immediately wrapped up by countless tendrils. Ruan Mingyu stood on the roof, unable even to see his figure, and couldn’t help but feel worried for him.

The demon shouted at Ruan Mingyu on the rafter, “Get out of here!”

A wise man knows when to retreat, and Ruan Mingyu wanted to run, but Song Chenxi hadn’t broken free. Leaving now would be disloyal. He thought for a moment, gritted his teeth, jumped off the rafter, and pulled out his long-unused sword from his storage ring. “Let go of my Senior Brother.”

“What gives you the right to bargain with me?”

The sky-high vines swiftly attacked Ruan Mingyu. He raised his sword to defend, but the vines were aimed directly at his heart. Just as they were about to pierce his flesh, Song Chenxi slashed through the surrounding restraints with his sword, shattering the vines. He lunged forward and captured the demon.

Song Chenxi’s hair was not even slightly messy. He said, “Such a small demon acting so arrogant. I didn’t want to damage your cultivation, considering your difficulty in cultivating.”

Yueya turned back into the little girl, throwing a tantrum and wailing on the ground.

“You cultivators only know how to bully little demons!”

Her crying was incredibly grating, like an evil child reborn.

Song Chenxi couldn’t stand the noise. He put a silencing spell on her and tied her to a nearby pillar.

The surroundings immediately became quiet.

Ruan Mingyu walked over, intending to scold her, but looked up and saw red markings creeping all over Song Chenxi’s face again. “Senior Brother, your face…”

His demonic transformation seemed to be happening more frequently lately. He had never seen him like this when they were together before…

Could something have happened to him in the Secret Realm?

Song Chenxi didn’t want him to see him like this, so he turned away. “I’m going to rest for a bit.”

Seeing his reaction, Ruan Mingyu didn’t press him. He looked around the courtyard to familiarize himself with the environment. The backyard had a study room filled with books, all medical texts.

Ruan Mingyu thought this trip was worthwhile. Even if he hadn’t bought the spirit field, buying so many medical books was still a win.

The books recorded methods for solving various difficult and complex illnesses. Ruan Mingyu grew increasingly ecstatic as he read; maybe his own illness could be saved, avoiding the fate of his body exploding.

Song Chenxi appeared behind him at some point. Ruan Mingyu couldn’t help but share the good news, hugging him and almost jumping for joy.

“Senior Brother, I might not have to die?”

Wait, something wasn’t right with him.

Song Chenxi’s eyes were completely covered in a blood-red haze, revealing a lifeless gaze. Although he was trying to control it, he looked more like a demon than a human now.

“What’s wrong with you…”

Song Chenxi pinned Ruan Mingyu against the corner. He raised his hands, first caressing the side of his neck.

Ruan Mingyu stammered, “Senior Brother, please don’t be like this, I’m scared…”

Song Chenxi stroked his face, then lowered his head and bit his lips.

“…”

In the confined space, their breaths mingled, hot and aggressive.

The taste of blood filled Ruan Mingyu’s mouth, followed by an intense feeling of suffocation.

While kissing Ruan Mingyu, Song Chenxi tightened his fingers around his throat.

He wants to kill me?

Ruan Mingyu weakly called out, trying to summon a sliver of his consciousness. “Senior Brother…” He tried to pry open the hand around his neck, but only had enough strength to grab his sleeve and shake it.

Song Chenxi seemed to be awakened by a memory in his body, and his mind finally cleared.

“Little Sparrow…” At that moment, he was incredibly lost, like a child who had done something wrong.

Ruan Mingyu bent over, coughing violently.

He managed to pat Song Chenxi’s shoulder. “I’m okay.”

However, the next moment, Song Chenxi’s eyes turned crimson again. He reached out his hand, about to grip Ruan Mingyu’s throat again.

Not again, surely?!

Ruan Mingyu ran away in panic.

The demon was still tied to the pillar. Ruan Mingyu released the silencing spell and said to her, “I’ll untie you, you help me tie up my Senior Brother.”

Yueya made a face. “Beg me.”

Ruan Mingyu had no sense of dignity left. “I beg you, please, Grandma, help me quickly!”

He trembled as he untied the child. Soon after, Song Chenxi chased after him, but the child just stood by, arms crossed, watching the show.

Just as Song Chenxi lunged again, Ruan Mingyu ran and yelled, “Senior Brother, I admit I lied to you, but you don’t have to be so merciless! I apologize, don’t be mad, please let me go!”

He was caught by Song Chenxi again, and Ruan Mingyu was on the verge of tears.

“Don’t kill me…”

This time, Song Chenxi didn’t kill him, but tightly hugged his waist from behind. He rested his head on Ruan Mingyu’s shoulder, nuzzling like a big fluffy dog. Then, he pulled open Ruan Mingyu’s clothes and bit his shoulder.

“Ouch!” Ruan Mingyu immediately cried. “You said you’d protect me, but you bit me, and it hurts so much!”

Song Chenxi raised his head in confusion, seemingly reacting to his words.

Just then, a vine stretched out and bound Song Chenxi.

That little demon finally had some conscience, tying Song Chenxi up tightly.

Ruan Mingyu could finally catch his breath.

“Isn’t Grandma awesome!” Yueya put her hands on her hips.

“Awesome, extremely awesome. No demon in the whole world is as awesome as you.”

Ruan Mingyu went over and felt Song Chenxi’s pulse. Unexpectedly, he didn’t struggle, but slumped against Ruan Mingyu, closed his eyes, and appeared to be asleep.

His internal pulse was chaotic. If he wasn’t treated soon, his life would be in danger. Ruan Mingyu had a huge headache. Everything was fine before they entered the Secret Realm. How did he end up like this afterward?

He quickly returned to the study to look through relevant ancient texts, hoping to find a solution.

Yueya suddenly appeared next to him and asked, “I heard you Daoists have a method for communicating with spirits.”

Ruan Mingyu was flipping through the book and answered, “If you can wake up the one who’s sleeping, I’ll have him help you find it.”

“I have a way!”

“Go away. I don’t have time to play with you now.”

Yueya pulled out a booklet. “Zhao Ziping gave this to me. It records many alchemy recipes. Once, a Nascent Soul cultivator offered his Golden Core in exchange, but he still refused.”

Ruan Mingyu paused. “Let me see.”

Yueya said, “You have to promise to let me see him first.”

“Grandma, I only know how to refine pills; I can’t communicate with spirits. Give me the prescription, and I’ll wake him up. Once he’s awake, you can ask him to help you. If he doesn’t wake up, I truly can’t help you!”

Yueya thought about it. “Alright, here.”

Ruan Mingyu took the prescription and skimmed it. There happened to be a pill specifically for loss of sanity, which was indistinguishable from being demonically possessed, with red markings on the face and crimson pupils.

Weren’t those Song Chenxi’s exact symptoms?

Ruan Mingyu felt like he had grabbed a lifeline. The most pressing matter was to get Song Chenxi to sober up. If he continued in this state of demonic possession, his spiritual consciousness would likely be destroyed, and that would be the end of him.

He immediately gathered the medicinal herbs to prepare for alchemy. Unfortunately, after preparing for a long time, all the herbs were ready except for one, which he couldn’t buy anywhere.

Ruan Mingyu had no choice but to set off for the mountains to gather the herb.

Seeing Ruan Mingyu about to leave, Yueya said, “Hey, why are you running off?”

“You watch over him for me, and I’ll be back soon. Once he wakes up, I’ll make sure he helps you with what you want,” Ruan Mingyu said.

Ruan Mingyu set off that night to the mountains to gather the herb. He rarely traveled by sword, but the situation was urgent, so he had to take it out.

Ruan Mingyu stood on the sword, but due to his lack of skill, he fell with a “bang” after flying for only a short distance.

Ruan Mingyu’s wrists were scraped raw, and he was in such pain that tears welled up, but he didn’t care. He continued to fly by sword, finally arriving at the mountain late in the evening.

At night, the mountain was pitch black, and he couldn’t see anything clearly. Ruan Mingyu was cold and hungry. He rubbed his hands, trying to warm himself up.

The mountain undergrowth was thick, and snakes, rats, and insects were all out at night. Ruan Mingyu suppressed his fear and searched for the last herb.

The book mentioned that the herb had green speckles all over and emitted a faint glow in the dark. He searched all over the mountains, almost an entire night, finally finding a trace of the herb just before dawn the next day. He climbed to the mountaintop. Not far ahead, among the weeds, a small, thin stalk of grass swayed in the wind, emitting a faint green light, its leaves gently trembling.

Finally, he found it.

Despite his extreme fatigue, Ruan Mingyu managed a smile. He hurried forward, but didn’t notice that the ground ahead was hollow. In the darkness, he hadn’t seen that it was a slope. He tumbled down, his whole body aching, and his arm broken.

Ruan Mingyu was very afraid of pain, and tears immediately streamed down his face, and he couldn’t help but whimper.

But he endured the pain, stood up with a limp. He figured he must look terrible now, covered in mud from head to toe.

He exerted great effort to climb back up. He bent down and carefully picked the small stalk of grass, tucking it into his robe.

This is great. Song Chenxi is saved.

Ruan Mingyu flew back on his sword. Since he couldn’t fly his sword in the town, he put it away and jogged back.

By now, the eastern sky was turning a rosy color, and dawn had arrived.

Ruan Mingyu quickened his pace, needing to go faster, even faster.

As he reached the medical hall, Ruan Mingyu saw a familiar figure. Although the figure was blurry, he could still recognize it—it was Song Chenxi.

Song Chenxi walked towards him, his expression unreadable, and asked expressionlessly, “Where did you go?”

“To get medicine for you. When did you wake up?” Ruan Mingyu said, trembling. “It’s good that you’re awake. I was so afraid you wouldn’t wake up…”

“Why are you so disheveled?” Seeing Ruan Mingyu limping, Song Chenxi immediately carried him on his back without asking his permission.

“Didn’t I say? It was to get medicine for you.”

Ruan Mingyu didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately lay down on his back.

Song Chenxi: “You’re an idiot.”

Ruan Mingyu: “I’m very smart.”

Song Chenxi: “You are not allowed to talk back.”

Ruan Mingyu actually didn’t say anything more.

Song Chenxi: “So obedient now?”

He tilted his head and discovered that Ruan Mingyu was too tired and had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

He whispered, “Sleep.”

A very strange feeling arose in Song Chenxi’s heart, a ticklish sensation that made his heart pound, as if it had touched the softest part of his soul.

Fine. He just likes Ruan Mingyu.