Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 42

The first snow of the New Year in Qing City fell in January, followed by a long stretch of overcast skies. Occasionally the sun would peek out, but before it could offer any warmth, it would be swallowed again by dark clouds.

By the time Jiang Rui finally saw Rong Jingtang, it was early February. Heavy snow was falling, accumulating up to the calves on the streets, turning the lamp posts at intersections into pillars of white.

Rong Jingtang wore a trench coat that was several shades whiter than the snow itself, a vintage long scarf wrapped around his neck, and a snow-colored greatcoat draped over his shoulders. He leaned half-standing against a car, his head slightly lowered. The retro style of his attire made one feel as if they had accidentally stumbled upon a young noble from the Republican era.

Pulled back to reality by the crunching sound of footsteps in the snow, the young man looked up. His exquisite features were beyond the description of ink and brush; his eyes, deep and black, fixed unblinkingly on the person approaching from a distance. He slowly straightened his posture.

Jiang Rui came to a halt about ten paces away. As their eyes met, both men were momentarily dazed.

To Jiang Rui, the man before him seemed to merge with the frozen landscape—as pure and cold as moonlight on snow, making him feel a desire to reach out, yet making the man seem unreachable.

However, the urge to touch him, to get closer, was nearly uncontrollable…

Jiang Rui’s past efforts to remain calm and indifferent in front of this man felt like a joke. In the end, his supposedly impenetrable mental state collapsed at the mere sight of a single glance from this person.

Despite the turmoil in his heart, Jiang Rui maintained his usual gentle and elegant smile. He steadied himself and spoke first. “Where is Uncle Cheng? Did you come alone?”

Rong Jingtang nodded. “Uncle Cheng is from Hong Kong. Qing City is too cold right now, so I didn’t let him follow.”

Jiang Rui walked over, brushing the snow off the man’s coat while nagging, “It’s still snowing lightly and your health is poor. Why didn’t you wait in the car? Look at all this snow on you…”

As Jiang Rui reached out to brush the snow from his hair, Rong Jingtang suddenly grabbed his wrist. He tucked Jiang Rui’s hand into his own palm, gripping it tightly. “I’m not as afraid of the cold as I used to be,” he said. “So I wanted to wait for you out here.”

Jiang Rui’s heart skipped a beat. He tried to pull his hand away but couldn’t. After a moment of hesitation, he firmly gripped back, his gloved fingers lightly stroking the spot where Rong Jingtang wore the Miao Xuan Secret Ring.

“Uncle Cheng said you have a lot to handle in Hong Kong, and you might even have to go abroad to Southeast Asia. I’m perfectly fine in Qing City; why did you insist on coming to see me?” Jiang Rui asked in a soft, casual voice.

Rong Jingtang frowned as he thought, then said, “No reason.”

A flash of disappointment crossed Jiang Rui’s eyes.

Then he heard the man add, “I just wanted to see you.”

Jiang Rui froze, then saw the faint trace of a smile in the other man’s eyes. He realized he had been teased; the thought that his moment of disappointment had been seen made his face flush hot.

He opened his mouth to scold the man, but looking at that flawless face less than a foot away, the words died in his throat. Always using a “beauty trap”… it’s simply cheating.

Jiang Rui sighed inwardly. By now, he could no longer lie to himself about his feelings for Rong Jingtang. He liked him. And that “like” had somehow deepened into something that the word “like” was no longer sufficient to describe.

Jiang Rui had always known he had a possessive desire for Rong Jingtang. At first, he hadn’t cared, treating it as a simple appreciation for beauty. But now he realized this desire had grown into a towering tree in his heart—he wanted this man. Completely.

Even if Rong Jingtang didn’t seem like the type to ever be “subservient” to another, Jiang Rui didn’t care.

“Rong Jingtang.”

“Mm,” the man responded. His gaze was cold yet clear, as if nothing in the world could hide from those eyes.

“Never mind,” Jiang Rui smiled, swallowing the words that had nearly escaped his lips.

The man still had many affairs to attend to; he could only stay in Qing City for less than half a day before he had to leave. Jiang Rui had guessed he wouldn’t stay long, but he hadn’t expected the schedule to be so tight that he couldn’t even stay for a full day.

Still, perhaps it was for the best. It gave Jiang Rui time to think things through.

That night, while cultivating in the Secret Realm, Jiang Rui suddenly remembered Jiang Jianlin, who had been trapped in the Nanke Dream Array for nearly a month. It was about time for his monthly Inedia Pill (fasting pill).

The Nanke Dream Array was built against a mountain, shrouded in deep clouds—a realm of illusions. Jiang Rui sent a wisp of his spiritual consciousness into the main array. This time, the “Wealth Desire” sub-array was being triggered. After over a year in the Secret Realm, Jiang Jianlin had gone from being unable to resist at all to being able to hold out for a while.

In the beginning, Jiang Rui was interested in the contents of the illusions, checking them every few days. But he soon found them to be repetitive delusions of grandeur. Once, Jiang Jianlin even imagined himself as an ancient emperor with countless beauties; Jiang Rui had immediately altered the “Power Desire” array to accelerate the punishment. In the illusion, Jiang Jianlin quickly lost everything and became a captured monarch of a fallen nation, suffering immensely before being released. After that, Jiang Rui’s interest faded.

Tonight, for some reason, he felt like looking again. His consciousness delved into the current illusion.

This time, it was different. It wasn’t a delusion; it looked more like a memory.

Jiang Rui saw his grandparents, his father Jiang Jianjun, his uncle Jiang Jianheng, and the youngest, Jiang Jianlin, all as young men. In his past life, after Jiang Jianlin went missing, Jiang Jianjun had searched for him until he was haggard. He would often tell people about how he used to look after his two younger brothers, saying that back then, Little Brother Jianlin was the most sensible and never caused trouble…

Jiang Rui had always thought his father said those things out of guilt, but seeing this illusion, he realized it was true.

As a child, although pampered by Grandmother Jiang, Jiang Jianlin had been good to his brothers. He listened to his eldest brother most and always looked out for him. When Grandmother Jiang secretly gave the youngest boy treats, Jiang Jianlin would insist on splitting them into three portions for his brothers, refusing to change even when his mother scolded him.

Later, as he grew up, Jiang Jianlin met Li Xiuzhi. His father was often away, and his brothers were busy with farm work. Because they thought Jianlin was “scholar material,” they never let him do hard labor. Li Xiuzhi, however, associated with local thugs. Jiang Jianlin slowly picked up bad habits, and his personality shifted drastically. By the time Jiang Jianjun realized something was wrong, his brother had already strayed too far. After a violent fight that resulted in his expulsion from school, the family was left helpless.

Watching this, Jiang Rui felt a lingering fear—If “Middle School Second Year Syndrome” (Chunibyo) isn’t treated early, it really can ruin a person’s life!

Jiang Jianlin stayed in the array for a long time before failing and being sent out after the ritual punishment. Jiang Rui, having taken a Shapeshifting Pill, appeared in the array in his “Tang Xuan” persona.

Jiang Jianlin had just been punished by the array. Though he had no visible wounds, he was in agonizing pain, as if he had been sliced by a thousand blades. When he saw “Tang Xuan,” his eyes lit up, but he didn’t crawl over to beg for mercy as he usually did.

Leaning against a large tree, gasping for air through the pain, Jiang Jianlin managed a cold sneer. “What? Nothing better to do, so you’re here to laugh at me again?”

Jiang Rui raised an eyebrow and tossed him an Inedia Pill. Jiang Jianlin, whose “IQ and EQ” had finally been “paid up” after his time here, knew this man didn’t intend to kill him. He swallowed the pill without hesitation.

Jiang Rui turned to leave, but Jiang Jianlin called out, “Are you a man or a ghost? Why keep me here? When will you let me out?”

Jiang Rui didn’t turn around. “Whether I am a man or a ghost doesn’t matter. The reason you are here matters even less. All you need to know is that getting out depends entirely on you.”

“These illusions are endless,” Jiang Jianlin muttered. “When will I ever break them all?” He felt he would die before he could conquer them.

Jiang Rui didn’t answer. He didn’t want to provide hope; this kind of hopeless torment was the true test of a person.

Jiang Jianlin watched as Jiang Rui’s body turned from solid to ethereal, slowly merging with the mountain mists. He reached out to grab him, but his hand caught only mist, which quickly dissipated through his fingers.

Leaning back against the tree, Jiang Jianlin felt a chill in his limbs. Soon, the next round of illusions would begin…