The Immortal Venerable Went Mad After My Faked Death [Transmigration] - Chapter 3

Ji Yunzhao: […]

System: […]

Taking advantage of the fact that Yan Fulang was too busy rolling around on the ground with his host to notice him, the System took the black mist and all the items that shouldn’t have been in the cultivation world and hid behind a large rock not far away.

[Host, what do we do now?] The System, recalling the wild maneuvers Ji Yunzhao had pulled off before, was eager to try again. [Do you want to knock the male lead out again?]

Ji Yunzhao thought about it and decided against it.

That trick had already been used; it was time for something new.

He did not continue the conversation with the System in his mind.

The youth’s long hair hung straight down like a pitch-black net, almost enclosing him completely, while his hands were held high above his head. The strength gripping his wrists was no less than it had been the first time.

The scent belonging to someone else was too close, and Ji Yunzhao felt a bit uncomfortable.

He might be a “salt-fish” (lazy), but usually, he was the one suppressing others with various methods; this was the first time he had been successfully ambushed by a half-grown youth.

And since the person who ambushed him was the male lead of the book’s world, he couldn’t kill or cripple him.

However, Yan Fulang daring to be so rude to his savior and future teacher meant he needed a small lesson.

“Your vigilance is quite high? Hmm, that’s a good thing, too.”

The person beneath him had a beautiful face, with almond-shaped eyes slightly lifted, his gaze clear and bright. His voice was also pleasant, like the clear, clinking sound of a mountain spring.

As the melodious whisper reached him, Yan Fulang’s gaze deepened, a look of surprise flashing across his eyes at just the right moment. Before he could loosen his grip on Ji Yunzhao, the world suddenly spun.

The positions of the two were abruptly reversed.

“However, I really… hate being ambushed.”

Ji Yunzhao leaned unceremoniously on Yan Fulang’s chest, his petite chin resting—whether intentionally or unintentionally—exactly on the youth’s fractured rib.

Yan Fulang’s expression twisted for a moment: “You…!”

Ji Yunzhao curled his lips and blinked innocently, pretending not to hear the suppressed groan of pain from the youth’s throat. Even when he got up from him, his movements were slow and deliberate.

As soon as he walked away, Yan Fulang sat up from the ground, moving even more slowly and with considerable difficulty than before.

It seemed that his previous outburst had exhausted his remaining strength; being able to sit up was already a feat.

A low gasp suddenly came from behind him. Ji Yunzhao stopped, turned around, and went back.

Yan Fulang’s motion of pressing his chest to check his injuries paused.

“I… you… here…” After several hours, the youth’s voice sounded even hoarser, as if it had been rubbed hard against sandpaper. “My… clothes…?”

He couldn’t even finish a complete sentence; he couldn’t have really been “thudded” into a muddled state by that hit from earlier, could he?

Ji Yunzhao tutted inwardly: How pitiful.

“You fell off a cliff and hit the ground hard, but you were lucky you ran into me. I treated your injuries and helped you change your clothes.”

Ji Yunzhao lifted his robes and sat on the ground beside Yan Fulang, propping his chin with one hand and lightly tapping the bandages on the youth’s arm with the other.

He didn’t use any force, just like scratching an itch.

“There are quite a few external wounds, but they are all scrapes and not serious. It’s just that two of your ribs are fractured, so don’t move around recklessly for the next few days.”

Yan Fulang lowered his eyes and shifted slightly to the side, leaving no trace of his movement.

The range was small, just enough to avoid the fingertip Ji Yunzhao had extended.

“…Thank you.”

Yan Fulang said in a low voice, and then, with some uncertainty, added, “Thank you, Senior. I was rude just now; I apologize.”

“You’re quite polite, aren’t you?”

Ji Yunzhao turned his head to look at him, his almond eyes clear and smiling. “However, young man, verbal thanks don’t count. Let’s have something more practical. How do you plan to repay this debt of saving your life? Let’s be clear: I am a decent person, and I don’t mean for you to ‘repay it with your body’ (marry me), okay?”

“…”

Inevitably, Yan Fulang was choked by Ji Yunzhao’s blunt words, not knowing how to respond for quite a long while.

Ji Yunzhao remained smiling, his beautiful almond eyes watching him intently without blinking. His pale pink lips, reflecting the nearby firelight, seemed to be a deeper red, like soft, juicy cherries.

Suddenly, those “cherries” leaned in closer.

Yan Fulang didn’t notice it, but because of Ji Yunzhao’s proximity, he unconsciously held his breath.

A moment later, he laughed, the wariness on his face fading and his expression softening, possessing the unique, sharp-edged innocence of a youth.

“Senior, in fact… you have already decided for yourself, so why bother asking me?”

“Ah, you caught me.”

Ji Yunzhao blinked with feigned cuteness, intentionally narrowing his voice, “Then, little one, regardless of how I want you to repay me, will you be willing?”

Yan Fulang was silent for two seconds, then nodded slightly: “Yes. You saved my life; how to repay you is naturally up to you.”

“Good.”

Ji Yunzhao bent his lips in satisfaction and took a pure white porcelain bowl from his sleeve in his storage space, it was one of the few containers that could hold water and didn’t look too different from the ancient world of cultivation.

A bowl of pure water was pushed to the youth’s slightly chapped lips.

“Step one of repayment: drink the water first.” Ji Yunzhao said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I have a big use for you; this water isn’t poisoned.”

Yan Fulang: “…”

Yan Fulang was stared at by Ji Yunzhao’s sincere, pure, and harmless gaze for a long time. Unable to resist, he drank the water in the bowl.

At first, he was still a bit reserved, drinking in small sips, but after only two sips, his speed became faster and faster.

Before Ji Yunzhao could notice, the entire bowl of water was finished by Yan Fulang.

Perhaps it was because he hadn’t drunk water for a long time, his throat was too dry, or the strange taste of the nutrient solution he had been forced to drink earlier left a lingering, uncomfortable sensation.

Tsk, how pitiful.

Ji Yunzhao once again let out a hypocritical sigh in his heart.

“Senior… the water is finished…”

The youth finally came back to his senses and lowered his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

Ji Yunzhao blinked with interest.

Was Yan Fulang… shy?

The dignified Dragon-Pride male lead of an “upgrade-style” cultivation novel… was being shy?

Ji Yunzhao stared at his appearance for a while, then suddenly felt playful.

His sinful hand reached out and messed up the youth’s hair.

He had been living quite casually during these two days in the cave, at most using his spiritual energy to clean himself. Since he hadn’t visited a cultivation world in many years, he was a bit rusty with his spiritual energy usage and had almost blown up the cave; naturally, he hadn’t thought about grooming Yan Fulang.

At this moment, after being rubbed and messed up by him, Yan Fulang looked like a startled puppy, his hair sticking up in all directions, making him look even younger.

“Pfft.”

Ji Yunzhao couldn’t suppress his rising lips, and an unfriendly sound escaped him.

Yan Fulang was, after all, still young and couldn’t keep his composure; provoked by this crafty adult, a flush of red suddenly surged onto his ear tips.

The campfire in the center of the cave had been burning for a long time, occasionally making a slight “crackle.”

This small space in the cave was filled with warm, glowing firelight, making the faint red that spread from the youth’s ear tips to his neck seem insignificant.

Ji Yunzhao didn’t know that Yan Fulang was almost pushed into a state of self-seclusion by his rubbing; he hadn’t dealt with young children in a long time, and a long time had passed since his own youth.

He suddenly wondered if he was being too unrestrained in front of Yan Fulang. Perhaps he should be a rational adult in front of him?

Such a thought flashed and disappeared in his mind, but was pushed down by Ji Yunzhao in less than a second.

…Forget it, it doesn’t matter. Yan Fulang is the male lead of a “Dragon-Pride” upgrade novel, after all; the male lead can adapt to the environment himself.

His mental state was already considered quite normal among the many salarymen driven crazy by work.

“Do you want another bowl?” Ji Yunzhao asked deliberately, “I have plenty of water here.”

Unfortunately, having been teased once, Yan Fulang had become much calmer.

He remained composed, his tone steady, and politely refused: “No need.”

“Alright, alright. Call me if you get thirsty… well, never mind, if you’re thirsty, go ahead and pour some yourself.”

Since he was awake and his limbs were intact and functional, Ji Yunzhao didn’t intend to wait on him. Although he was a patient, he shouldn’t have any trouble pouring water.

Ji Yunzhao gave a shout and took out a wooden bucket from the space disguised as a storage bag, filling it with pure water. On the bucket, he thoughtfully placed a long-handled wooden spoon.

“Alright, I understand. Thank you, Senior.”

After waking up, Yan Fulang hadn’t asked many questions, but he had been constantly expressing thanks.

If Ji Yunzhao hadn’t already witnessed his exquisite acting skills and held the script in his hand, he might have really been fooled by this obedient and polite appearance.

It was late at night, and there was nothing to eat. Drinking water alone was boring, and he couldn’t use his brain-computer or play holographic games; Ji Yunzhao was truly bored and a little sleepy.

He had been waiting for that cultivation world master to come and pick people up, thinking he could throw this “hot potato” (the male lead) to someone else and get himself some fried chicken or pizza, but he hadn’t expected the master to simply disappear, only to be met with a new job.

Forget it. He would be a good person one last time before bed and take care of the little patient.

Ji Yunzhao found a hairband he didn’t use from the System’s space, walked behind Yan Fulang, and bent down.

Soft, warm fingertips reached into the hair, replacing a comb, and slowly began to groom it.

“Senior, you…”

Yan Fulang tilted his face slightly, asking in a very low voice with a hoarse, unrecovered tone.

“What, you’ve never seen a good person before?” Ji Yunzhao hummed lazily, cutting off his words.

Perhaps he really had never seen such a good person; Yan Fulang was speechless for a moment and didn’t speak again.

As he groomed, Ji Yunzhao’s hand unintentionally touched the back of Yan Fulang’s neck.

It was a light, quick graze—a movement that even Ji Yunzhao himself hadn’t noticed—but it made Yan Fulang suddenly stiffen.

One half of the youth’s handsome face fell into the silent, dark shadows of the late night, while the other half was exposed to the bright firelight. His hands resting on his knees unconsciously tightened on his robes, but his expression didn’t change at all.

Yan Fulang’s gaze moved, without a trace, toward the other side of the cave.

There, placed his coarse-cloth clothing that Ji Yunzhao had taken off him, which had been torn to rags by tree branches and rocks during his fall.

Ji Yunzhao didn’t notice Yan Fulang’s vigilance and guardedness, focusing intently on smoothing out that long hair that reached his waist. Powerful and gentle spiritual energy leaked from his fingertips, cleaning away all the floating dust and grime from the strands.

“Do you want to tie it up?” Ji Yunzhao whispered, “How about a ponytail like mine?”

Before Yan Fulang could answer, he added, “Better not. We’re going to sleep in a while, and it’s uncomfortable to sleep with your hair tied.”

Yan Fulang: “…Hmm.”

It wasn’t until the warm spiritual energy was withdrawn and the long hair was once again stained with the unique, damp chill of the night that Yan Fulang slowly let go of his robes.

It took a long time for those deep creases to be smoothed out bit by bit.

The campfire burned all night, and Ji Yunzhao used dry branches outside the charcoal to disguise it. The medical kit, the small stool, and the trash that shouldn’t have appeared in an ancient world had all been cleaned up by the System when it found an opportunity.

Yan Fulang’s second awakening was somewhat sudden, and Ji Yunzhao was almost caught off guard, but fortunately, he hadn’t seen anything he shouldn’t have.

The only trouble was that with Yan Fulang, a genuine native of the cultivation world, present, he and the System couldn’t use the sleeping bags they had fished out of their storage space. They could only find some bottom-of-the-box quilts—which had been sitting in the space for who knows how many years—to make a makeshift floor bed.

Fortunately, items in the space remained exactly as they were when put in; time was completely still inside, otherwise, they would have been moldy.

He brought out two quilts and added an extra thin blanket under the little patient.

“Don’t turn over while sleeping, don’t sleep on your side, and don’t move around recklessly.” After Ji Yunzhao finished his instructions, he added, “Should I put a splint on you?”

Yan Fulang: “…Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but a splint is unnecessary.”

Whether it was because of his fractured ribs making it inconvenient to move, or something else, Yan Fulang had been somewhat listless.

Their floor beds were separated by a campfire.

Ji Yunzhao stared at his side profile for a while, didn’t ask, and simply laid down.

Fifteen minutes later.

Ji Yunzhao couldn’t lay down anymore.

Such a hard bed.

He had been camping out for almost three days; he was truly tired of this miserable life.

Ji Yunzhao sighed silently under the quilt, forcing himself not to toss and turn.

He placed his hands on his abdomen, and the System, disguised as a normal little black cat, curled itself up at his side.

The sleeping posture of the person and the cat looked very honest—if no one noticed that the two were having a fierce battle under the quilt.

[A-Tong~]

[Host~]

[Can you get me a large villa? A quadrangle courtyard would also be fine! If you could move a cultivator’s cave dwelling from this world, that would be even better! Sigh, actually, I’m not picky; just give me anything.]

[Dear, I suggest you go to sleep; you can have anything in your dreams~ Ouch! Don’t pull my tail!]

Ji Yunzhao was angered by the System. He turned his back, pulled out the little black cat, and gave it a sound spanking.

Perhaps the movement was a bit loud; as soon as Ji Yunzhao finished spanking the System, he heard a slight movement from Yan Fulang.

So, neither of them were sleeping.

“What’s wrong?” Ji Yunzhao asked first, “Are you uncomfortable?”

Yan Fulang didn’t make a sound, as if in silent agreement.

Ji Yunzhao thought about it, sighed, and pushed back the quilt.

Before leaving his hard but warm bedding, Ji Yunzhao confirmed one thing with the System.

[Cuddling increases points and lets you charge?]

System: […Well, Host, you have to cuddle in the little fat bird form to increase points and charge, but the charging speed will be a little slow. It’s not as good as converting the male lead’s experience bar proportionally later.]

Ji Yunzhao: [Need the experience bar, got it.]

Ji Yunzhao didn’t just push back the quilt; he dragged the quilt and the System along with him to Yan Fulang’s side.

By the time the little black cat poked its head out of the messy quilt, looking dazed, Ji Yunzhao was already almost sitting inside the male lead’s quilt.

Ji Yunzhao didn’t pay attention to Yan Fulang’s external injuries because he knew that the minor wounds that were about to scab over certainly didn’t matter. His fair, slender hand reached over, like a light, soft feather, brushing across the youth’s chest, bit by bit, swaying back and forth.

Yan Fulang only felt his eyelids jump violently.

“…Senior?”

It was hard for him not to recall the “decent person” and “no need to repay with your body” that Ji Yunzhao had just told him not long ago.

Just as he was observing his surroundings calmly, the youth beside him suddenly moved even closer.

“I knew it, we have to use bandages and splints.”

A murmur-like whisper came to his ears. The beautiful youth was dressed in white, with ink-like hair spread across the entire bed.

“Hmm, if you really don’t want to use a splint, why don’t you take me as your master? I’ll teach you cultivation; your injuries will definitely heal faster than if you had used a splint.”

Yan Fulang: “…”

Yan Fulang: “?”