The Possessive Beauty Desires Me in Vain - Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Tears

The night deepened.

Back inside his room, Chen Hexuan instinctively walked toward the Tai’e Sword. His gaze slid inch by inch over the scabbard, finally coming to a rest on the hilt. The events of the day remained vivid in his mind—the world-shattering collapse of the Nine Pools of Fortune and the relentless, piercing questions from Fu Gufeng.

Now that it was finally quiet, a wave of profound exhaustion washed over him. He suddenly gripped the sword and spoke in a heavy, weary voice, “Qi Yu… can’t you just let me go?”

The words fell into a void. Silence returned to the room, so absolute that he could hear the soft sound of snow falling outside. Perhaps simply too tired to maintain his guard, Chen Hexuan let his eyes drift shut.

In the final moment before sleep took him, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure appearing before him. Then, he fell forward into the embrace of a soft, living body.

Qi Yu, having materialized into human form, caught Chen Hexuan from behind. He gently placed his hand over Chen Hexuan’s eyes and whispered, “Sleep, Senior Brother.”

After a while, once Chen Hexuan’s breathing had steadied, Qi Yu carried him to the bed. He laid him down, meticulously removed his head crown, propped his body up to strip away his outer robes and trousers, and carefully pulled off his shoes.

When everything was done and Chen Hexuan was tucked under the covers, Qi Yu leaned against the edge of the bed, watching him intently. Noticing the furrow in the man’s brow, Qi Yu used two fingers to smooth the tension away.

After staring infatuatedly for a long time, Qi Yu seemed to recall what Chen Hexuan had said before falling asleep. He murmured slowly:

“Senior Brother, just a little longer… Wait just a little longer, and I won’t bother you anymore.”

…

This was another dream—one that initially seemed devoid of the present Qi Yu.

The streets were bustling. Children played, woodcutters hauled their loads, and weavers sold their cloth. It was a picture of peace and prosperity.

As Chen Hexuan walked down the street, dodging a running child, he sensed someone following him. He took several turns through the winding paths before finally cornering the shadow at the mouth of a small alley.

The follower was dressed in common clothes and looked unremarkable—a plain, everyday woodcutter.

“Speak. Why are you following me?” At this time, Chen Hexuan had not yet experienced the tragedies to come; his brow was still marked by an irrepressible arrogance and youthful spirit.

The woodcutter startled, blinking small eyes. “Immortal Master, I… I am just here to buy wood. I was not following you.”

“Still stubborn?” Chen Hexuan said with a smirk. “Qi Yu, drop the act. Show yourself.”

The woodcutter kept his head down, not daring to look up.

Chen Hexuan took a step forward, using the hilt of his sword to tilt the man’s chin up. “This is the third time you’ve followed me. Your transformation arts are nothing before my eyes. Revert.”

The woodcutter met Chen Hexuan’s eyes and flinched, quickly looking away. He muttered softly, “Senior Brother… your sword is pressing against me. I can’t change like this.”

Chen Hexuan withdrew the sword and leaned back against the alley wall, looking down at the youth. “Stop the nonsense. Do it.”

Qi Yu was always shy in front of Chen Hexuan. Under that steady gaze, his earlobes inevitably began to flush. Chen Hexuan found it amusing and kept his eyes fixed on that reddening skin.

Qi Yu whispered an incantation. Gradually, the short, plain woodcutter transformed into a young man of delicate and clear beauty. He rubbed his ear sheepishly and said, “Senior Brother, I wanted to come with you.”

Chen Hexuan curled his lip, refusing flatly. “No. Go back to the Xingzhou Sect.”

Qi Yu went silent, then muttered in a small voice, “Master sent me.”

“The mission is almost over. Why would Master send you now?” Chen Hexuan said, walking out of the alley. “Tell the truth. Did Master tell you to stalk me?”

He thought to himself: Qi Yu definitely came on his own. He had intentionally hidden his itinerary when he left, yet Qi Yu had still managed to track him down.

Qi Yu pursed his lips and followed him out, saying nothing.

Chen Hexuan turned around and looked down at him, chuckling. “Qi Yu, tell me. What are you really here for?”

Qi Yu hung his head. “The mission is too dangerous. Master sent me to help you.”

Chen Hexuan smiled inwardly. “You’re here to help? You’re here to get in the way.”

With a flick of his fingers, he used a transportation spell to move them both to the outskirts of the city.

“Did you kill these zombies?” Chen Hexuan asked, pulling four cloth-wrapped corpses from his storage space and tossing them onto the ground.

Qi Yu stepped forward, looked at them, and nodded.

Realizing Qi Yu hadn’t noticed his mistake, Chen Hexuan arched an eyebrow. “Check them more carefully.”

Qi Yu knelt down and examined them with spiritual energy.

Chen Hexuan’s goal for this trip was to solve a zombie plague in the city. It had started years ago, and those who died became undead. Only recently had Chen Hexuan discovered the source—a Corpse-Controlling Demon from the Demon Realm who used the city as his personal farm.

Killing the demon wasn’t hard, but his four Corpse Kings were troublesome. Yet, when Chen Hexuan finally cornered the demon, he found the four Kings already dead, making the final kill easy.

Few in the mortal realm could solo four Corpse Kings, but if it was Qi Yu following him, it made perfect sense. When Chen Hexuan found the decapitated bodies, he noticed a wound on one that carried traces of demonic energy. He knew immediately it was Qi Yu’s work.

He watched as Qi Yu’s brow furrowed. The boy had realized the problem.

While the other wounds were made with pure spiritual energy, Qi Yu had accidentally leaked his internal demonic energy when fighting the strongest King.

Qi Yu didn’t know if Chen Hexuan had noticed. He was panicking internally, trying to think of a way to destroy the evidence, but he couldn’t come up with an excuse.

Chen Hexuan saw right through his little scheme. Finding the boy’s serious, worried face adorable, he said with a hint of a smile:

“When we studied under Elder Qingyang, he said that after removing the limbs of a zombie, the body must be thoroughly incinerated to prevent them from being used by demons again.”

“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother!” Qi Yu was overjoyed at the opening. His eyes crinkled into crescents as he looked at Chen Hexuan, and he immediately cast a spell to ignite the bodies.

The smell of burning flesh was foul. Qi Yu walked to Chen Hexuan’s side and cast a barrier to block out the soot and the stench.

Chen Hexuan looked down at him. He felt that “cleaning up” after Qi Yu wasn’t such a chore. He had suspected for a long time that Qi Yu wasn’t entirely human, and he had been quietly erasing the traces Qi Yu left behind. As for why he was helping a demon, he couldn’t explain it. The path of humans and demons were supposed to be incompatible, yet after a brief internal struggle at the beginning, he found he couldn’t bring himself to stop.

Once everything was handled, Qi Yu turned to him. “Thank you, Senior Brother.”

Meeting Chen Hexuan’s gaze, Qi Yu shyly looked away, but he couldn’t stop a small smile that revealed a tiny canine tooth. Chen Hexuan’s heart softened.

Let it be, he thought. I’ll hide it for him as long as I can. If it ever comes out, I’ll just help him leave the cultivation world.

As they returned to the street, Qi Yu looked up. “Senior Brother, can I stay with you? I promise I won’t cause any more trouble.”

Chen Hexuan saw the mixture of hope and anxiety in the boy’s face and smirked. “No. Go back to the sect. Stop following me.”

Qi Yu’s head dropped in disappointment. He watched Chen Hexuan’s back with a sense of loss, but he still couldn’t help but trail behind him.

“What, you’re still not leaving?” Chen Hexuan noticed, of course. In his heart, he knew Qi Yu wouldn’t actually go.

Suddenly remembering something, Qi Yu said brightly, “Senior Brother, it’s late. I’ll go back tomorrow. I’ll stay at the inn tonight.”

Chen Hexuan remembered they were staying at the same inn. He feigned annoyance. “Do whatever you want. Just don’t be noisy.”

Qi Yu smiled, his eyes drifting to Chen Hexuan’s hand hanging by the Tai’e sword. To Qi Yu, it was a very attractive hand—broad palm, long fingers, distinct knuckles. He felt a sudden, powerful urge to reach out and interlace his fingers with his Senior Brother’s.

He knew if he asked, he’d be rejected. So he just curled his own fingertips, suppressing the impulse.

Chen Hexuan sensed Qi Yu’s suddenly erratic breathing and knew his “junior brother” was up to something. But they walked all the way to the inn in silence. Sometimes Chen Hexuan walked too fast, and Qi Yu had to take a few jogging steps to keep up.

Up on the second floor, Chen Hexuan stopped at his door. He looked at the hovering Qi Yu. “Still following me?”

Qi Yu snapped out of it, realizing he couldn’t follow him inside. His eyes filled with gloom.

Chen Hexuan glanced at him, stepped into his room, and then poked his head back out. “Qi Yu… see you tomorrow.”

At the words “see you tomorrow,” Qi Yu’s face lit up. He gave a dorky, beaming smile. “See you tomorrow, Senior Brother!”

The door closed, and the room went still. Chen Hexuan leaned against the wall and, thinking of Qi Yu’s foolish expression, couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Night deepened, and the world grew quiet. Since reaching the Nascent Soul stage, Chen Hexuan rarely slept; he usually spent the night in meditation.

Faintly, he sensed a familiar figure climbing through the window into his room. It was Qi Yu.

Chen Hexuan didn’t open his eyes. He wanted to see what the boy intended to do. Despite his closed eyes, his senses were sharp.

Why is he so clingy? We just saw each other during the day, and here he is at night.

He felt Qi Yu getting closer. He felt a knee press into the bedsheet, then the heat of the boy’s upper body leaning over him.

Chen Hexuan thought: Is he going to kiss me?

But Qi Yu stopped. He just hovered there, his eyes seemingly tracing every line of Chen Hexuan’s face, meticulously memorizing his features.

Just as Chen Hexuan expected a touch, a single, warm drop of water fell onto his hand.

Qi Yu was crying.

Chen Hexuan’s eyes snapped open, and the memories of the world outside the dream came crashing back into his mind with violent force.

…

The contrast between the “past” Qi Yu and the “present” one is heart-wrenching. It seems even back then, Chen Hexuan was protecting him.