The Possessive Beauty Desires Me in Vain - Chapter 6

Chapter 6: The Scent of Pear Blossoms

In the lightless star-filled night, several flickers of light illuminated the Samuel Mountain Range. Along the paths, the long-burning lamps wavered and stuttered with a dim glow.

A lantern also burned in a pavilion on the main peak, casting the two figures inside into giant shadows against the moon-white light.

“Hexuan, I’m sorry,” Pu Xuefeng heaved a heavy sigh, his expression complicated. “I have scoured the ancient records these past few days. There is almost no mention of a condition like yours.”

Chen Hexuan was not particularly surprised; a look of understanding crossed his face. He spoke comfortingly, “Master, there is no need for guilt. Didn’t you say I could go to the Nine Pools of Fortune? I will stay there until my mind is clear, and only then will I emerge.”

“I was joking before, of course,” Pu Xuefeng said, worry deepening the furrows in his brow. “The Nine Pools of Fortune is not a place one simply walks in and out of. Your martial uncle went there and fled after only three days.”

Chen Hexuan smiled, his eyes looking at Pu Xuefeng with calm resolve. “Master, I am not afraid.”

“You aren’t afraid, but I am afraid that my eldest disciple, who has finally returned, will freeze to death inside,” Pu Xuefeng growled, his brows knitting fiercely. “Do you know what it feels like to have your entire spiritual meridian network frozen? To have no part of you that isn’t cold—a cold that reaches the very limit of endurance?”

Hearing this, Chen Hexuan did not dwell on the danger. Instead, he gave a light laugh. “Master, I am truly not afraid.”

“It has been over a hundred days since I left the Demon Palace. I haven’t been able to cultivate for so long. In truth, it’s been longer than that—I couldn’t cultivate during those years in the palace either.”

“Every time I try to practice, it ends in a dream. I have wasted so much time. I cannot go on like this.”

Chen Hexuan lowered his eyes. “I fear disappointing your high hopes… and the expectations my mother had for me.”

Pu Xuefeng seemed to understand. He flicked his sleeve irritably. “Fine, do as you wish. I can’t talk sense into you.”

Chen Hexuan gave a knowing smile. “I turned out this way because Master taught me well.”

Pu Xuefeng, maintaining a stern face, swept his hand over the small table. A small mountain of items appeared instantly.

“I prepared these for you. Take them.”

“Thank you, Master.” Chen Hexuan was stunned. He couldn’t refuse the gesture, feeling a surge of warmth in his chest.

A quick glance revealed that the pile contained not only protective artifacts against the cold but also high-grade pills—clearly prepared with great care. He smiled inwardly; it seemed his Master had known all along that he wouldn’t give up.

“Don’t be polite,” Pu Xuefeng said crossly, though his eyes betrayed his concern. “You must come out exactly as you went in.”

“If you come out with frostbitten limbs or a frozen brain, I don’t care if the elders of your Chen family come looking for me—I will expel you from the Xingzhou Sect myself.”

Chen Hexuan gathered the items, his heart feeling warm. He said with a smile, “I will surely return completely intact.”

Master and disciple chatted long into the night under the moon. Chen Hexuan consulted Pu Xuefeng on many cultivation queries until, eventually, Pu Xuefeng became so annoyed by the endless questions that he chased Chen Hexuan away.

Returning to his room, Chen Hexuan fell into deep thought under the dim lamplight.

The Nine Pools of Fortune was one of the seven forbidden grounds of the Xingzhou Sect. Rumor had it the area was perpetually locked in ice and snow—an extreme cold filled with danger. Correspondingly, the spiritual energy there was exceptionally abundant.

The wind there was the sharpest of blades, capable of slicing the skin of a Nascent Soul cultivator. The snow was a fast-acting toxin that could corrode the sturdiest armor.

However, if one could endure it, the blade became a whetstone for the soul, and the snow turned into celestial dew that nourished all things. It was the ultimate place to temper one’s will and quiet the spirit.

Chen Hexuan wouldn’t say he was entirely without fear, but compared to the agony of being unable to cultivate—and the torture of dreaming of Qi Yu every night—this was nothing.

He buried his face in his hands and sighed.

As long as he could stop thinking about Qi Yu, he would do anything.

But he had tried every method he could think of, yet he still couldn’t drive Qi Yu from his mind.

A thousand drifting thoughts pulled Chen Hexuan once more into a dreamscape.

Clang—

Clang—

The morning bell rang out from the summit of the main peak. The heavy tolling rose and dispersed with the warm spring air, shattering the silence for miles.

White-robed cultivators emerged from their morning lessons in small groups, looking like clusters of blooming white flowers.

Chen Hexuan’s eyes, which had lost their focus, gazed at the sky. In the next moment, they locked onto a friend who was just stepping onto a flying sword.

“Why aren’t you on your sword yet?” several friends turned and asked curiously. “Hurry up! we’re starving. If we’re late, there won’t be any food left.”

Chen Hexuan gave an apologetic smile while circulating his spiritual energy to start his sword’s flight. “Then why haven’t you left yet? Otherwise, I’ll be the first to arrive again.”

The sun had just risen between the two main peaks of the mountain range, though the spring light was not yet dazzling.

The long sword pierced the clouds, the north wind biting.

Looking down from the heights, towers pierced the clouds, with vast chasms below. To the south stood the majestic main peak; to the east were layers of mountain ridges; and to the north lay the hazy horizon.

Everything was captured in a single glance.

Standing on the sword, one felt as though the entire world was beneath their feet. When the wind whistled past his ears, only the sound of the wind remained.

The elegant, spirited young cultivators rode the clouds with abandon, soaring rapidly through the dawn light.

Chen Hexuan’s long-tensed heartstrings finally relaxed. He curved his lips into a smile and accelerated toward the dining hall, leaving his friends behind in moments.

When Chen Hexuan reached his destination, there were few people on the mountain. His friends landed beside him shortly after. The group stowed their swords and walked into the dining hall, chatting as they went.

By the time Chen Hexuan had gotten his food and turned around, the hall was already packed.

They sat down at a table. Just as Chen Hexuan sat, his back bumped into the person behind him.

Chen Hexuan immediately turned to apologize. “My apologies.”

He looked up and froze, meeting a pair of quiet eyes—it was Qi Yu.

The sunlight streaming through the window fell directly on Qi Yu’s face. It was a face that could be described as exquisite—delicate features, a refined nose, and bright lips against white teeth.

Unsure if it was more shock or joy, Qi Yu blinked slowly and whispered, “It’s… it’s fine.”

Having said that, he quickly turned his face away, offering Chen Hexuan only the back of his head.

Chen Hexuan couldn’t help but think of a rabbit in the sect that was often bullied by other spiritual beasts—scared and skittish, just like Qi Yu was now.

Chen Hexuan’s gaze lingered for a moment on Qi Yu’s suddenly pink earlobes. He found it somewhat amusing and noticed that Qi Yu was eating alone.

Compared to the lively, noisy scenes around others, Qi Yu was always solitary. Combined with his ethereal aura, rumors had spread throughout the sect that he was cold and aloof.

But only Chen Hexuan knew that the real Qi Yu wasn’t like that.

So, what is the Qi Yu who stands before me really like?

Chen Hexuan turned back and began to eat. He joined his friends’ conversation occasionally, but the question remained floating in his mind.

“My chopstick fell. I’m pushing the table back a bit,” the friend sitting across from Chen Hexuan said, shoving the table toward him.

Chen Hexuan instinctively shifted back, not realizing that his back was now pressed firmly against the back of the person behind him.

Qi Yu had been looking down, absentmindedly picking at his rice while thinking about how pleasant his senior brother’s voice sounded. Suddenly, he was pressed against a warm, solid body.

Qi Yu gripped his chopsticks tight, his mind going blank. He felt a tingle of electricity spread from the point of contact, racing through his entire body. He didn’t know if he was hotter or if his senior brother was. He never knew he could be so sensitive.

After a bit of a fuss, the friend finally retrieved the chopstick and moved the table back. Chen Hexuan realized then that he and Qi Yu were leaning too close.

Just as he moved forward, Qi Yu stood up with his bowl and hurriedly skirted around the room toward the dish-return area.

Watching Qi Yu choose a long detour rather than walk past him, a ripple of amusement rose in Chen Hexuan’s heart.

One of his friends, seeing his half-smile, asked curiously, “What is it? What’s so funny? Tell us.”

Chen Hexuan only gave a faint smile. “Nothing.”

“What do you mean ‘nothing’?” another friend teased curiously. “Look at you smiling like that. You must have seen someone you like. Hehe, tell me who it is. I won’t tell a soul.”

Chen Hexuan shook his head reflexively. His peripheral vision caught Qi Yu walking out dazed, his hands unconsciously rubbing his reddened earlobes.

He didn’t expect Qi Yu to look back at him at that moment. Their gazes met across the crowded room.

Qi Yu seemed startled; his normally quiet eyes went wide and round, making him look even more like a bullied rabbit.

Seeing him like this, Chen Hexuan felt a mischievous urge. He lifted his hand and waved at him.

Qi Yu was even more shocked. He stopped hesitantly, looking like a dazed monk from a storybook bewitched by a fox spirit. In a blur, he waved back at Chen Hexuan.

The moment his hand dropped, Chen Hexuan saw him turn and rush out of the dining hall.

His friends were left stunned by the scene.

But something even more surprising followed.

Just as they were about to ask what happened, Chen Hexuan put down his chopsticks and stood up to walk out, seemingly chasing after someone.

When Chen Hexuan stepped out of the hall, he saw Qi Yu suddenly stop mid-walk. He stood there blankly for a moment before hesitantly rubbing his pink earlobes again.

Despite the distance, Chen Hexuan saw the irrepressible smile on Qi Yu’s lips and the glimpse of a small canine tooth.

On his way back, Chen Hexuan finally noticed that the pear blossoms in front of the dining hall had bloomed. They smelled so sweet.

…

A rare glimpse into their innocent past! It’s quite the contrast to the heavy atmosphere of the Demon Palace. It seems Chen Hexuan is finding it harder and harder to reconcile the “scared rabbit” of the past with the Demon Venerable of the future.