Chapter 47: Running Away

April 4th, 2023

Fang Li finished his meal without a sound.

Actually, he did have a tiny bit of mysophobia, but ever since pretending to be a fool, even his OCD was about to be cured…… Fang Li sighed sorrowfully in his heart. Out of habit, he was about to wipe his greasy-covered hands on himself when suddenly, a scorching hot hand grabbed his wrist.

Fang Li raised his head in astonishment, then looked at Xie Huai timidly.

After all, right now, his character setting was a fool. Xie Huai was such a big block of ice, it was normal for a fool to be scared of him.

But Xie Huai only lowered his eyes, his long, jade-like fingers grasping Fang Li’s wrist as he took out a silk handkerchief and wiped Fang Li’s fingers clean one by one.

His movements were slow and focused, brooking no resistance yet also tender, the blazing warmth passing through the skin……

Fang Li wanted to pull his hand back uneasily, but he couldn’t pull it away. He could only allow Xie Huai to continue cleaning, his fingertips trembling slightly……

After a long time, Xie Huai finally let go, his eyes still indifferent as he stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

Fang Li retrieved his hand in a flash as if just pardoned from execution.

Tao Lu couldn’t be more emotional as he watched this scene. To think that Shixiong would help wipe someone’s hand so tenderly, sob, Shixiong was finally starting to understand how to take care of someone!

Although it was only a very, very small detail, he finally no longer had that ice-cold appearance without a shred of human warmth!

In that moment, Tao Lu felt like the Shixiong from before had come back again.

Although he didn’t know why Shixiong was so attentive towards this fool, in short, it was a good thing! Tao Lu’s eyes were full of gratitude as he looked at Fang Li, and he didn’t even feel any of the hard work he’d done to take care of Fang Li recently anymore!

Fang Li returned to the carriage with his head lowered, avoiding Xie Huai’s gaze as he sat there docilely.

He thought Xie Huai seemed a bit off……

But he also couldn’t say where the problem was.

Was it because Xie Huai had helped him clean his hands?

Xie Huai’s warmth still seemed to linger on his fingertips, scorching, scalding, and impossible to ignore…… like the magma below a glacier wanting to erupt.

Fang Li curled his fingers tight.

You’re a fool right now, okay, he’s helping you wipe your hand out of the goodness of his heart. He’s just showing concern for the disadvantaged, that’s all, what are you getting nervous for?!

…………………………

Time quickly flew by.

In the blink of an eye, more than half the trip had passed, and it wouldn’t be much longer before they arrived at Hollow Ridge. If he waited until they were at Hollow Ridge to run, that would be difficult……

These days, although he’d been playing the fool, he hadn’t attempted to escape even once. He’d appeared completely resigned to his fate, just for the sake of not raising Xie Huai’s guard too much.

Two more days passed.

They arrived at Yangsu province. He remembered that not too far forward was Xining county. Back then, he and Xie Huai had passed by and resolved the matter with Night Sky Palace along the way……

Right now, the city was brilliantly decorated with lanterns and colors, and people swarmed through streets in flocks, the air filled with voices. It seemed like it was some kind of holiday.

Fang Li lay in the carriage by the window, looking out pensively, and he quickly recalled what it was.

The second day of the third month, that was the day the Great Sage had fallen four thousand years ago.

Although Xie Huai was the number one in the world today who no one could rival, and everyone guessed that he might have already become a Unified Dao true immortal, Xie Huai’s cultivation level had actually always been a mystery. Moreover, Xie Huai never paid attention to the matters of the world and very rarely personally took action, so nobody knew what his real cultivation level was.

But the Great Sage of Origin was known by all to be the only Unified Dao true immortal in ten thousand years. In the age of the Great Sage, the power of the demonic path had waned, and the righteous sects had flourished. The Great Sage’s presence spread prosperity to the common people, and he was beloved and trusted by all the world.

Today, four thousand years had passed.

Many of the records and scrolls that the Great Sage had compiled were still in circulation.

The Spirit Beast Records that the Cloud-Swallowing Beast had been recorded in, for example, was one of the Great Sage’s scrolls. There were also the Spirit Herb Scrolls, the Scroll of Remedies, the Scroll of Oddities, etc……

But even such a peerlessly powerful entity had still fallen in the end. There were many versions of the story spreading around, the most popular of which said that the Great Sage had wanted to go one step further and explore the territory of the void, but in the end, he had failed and fallen.

On the day that the Great Sage had fallen, the heavens had wept with sorrow, and catastrophes and rivers of fire had engulfed the land, bringing disaster to all the living creatures of the world, not abating until many centuries had passed.

In order to commemorate everything the Great Sage had done for the people, they would hold a memorial celebration every year on the second day of the third month.

Today just so happened to be the second day of the third month.

So the provincial town was unusually lively.

Amidst the bustle, Fang Li’s expression shifted.

When the crowds were packed, it was just the time for escaping.

He’d stayed put in such a well-behaved manner for so long precisely for this moment.

But it wasn’t the time for a meal yet, so if he wanted to get off the carriage, he needed a suitable reason…… Fang Li’s line of sight fell onto Tao Lu.

This child was lovable and kind, and his thoughts were pure, unlike Xie Huai who was always so shrewd. He was much easier to deal with than Xie Huai.

Fang Li and Tao Lu were more or less familiar now. He yanked Tao Lu’s sleeve and pointed outside, stammering, “Sugar, sugared hawthorn, hawthorns……”

Tao Lu immediately understood what Fang Li meant. He wanted to eat sugared hawthorns.

Because of Fang Li, Shixiong was even starting to have a bit of humanity to him now. Tao Lu was getting more and more fond of Fang Li and wanted nothing more than to fulfill every single one of his requests, so he smiled and said, “Wait for a moment, I’ll go buy some for you.”

But Fang Li hung on tight to Tao Lu’s sleeve, refusing to let go. He had on an expression as if he wanted to go with him and wouldn’t release him……

Tao Lu was a little helpless. He shot a careful at Xie Huai. Here, Xie Huai was still the one who called the shots.

Xie Huai’s murky gaze flitted past Fang Li.

You sure are close with Tao Lu. Is it because you can tell that he’s easy to fool?

The corners of his lips twitched, and he said blandly, “Go ahead.”

Fang Li was inwardly overjoyed.

But as soon as he got off the carriage with Tao Lu, he saw Xie Huai following along as well.

The cold man’s robes were whiter than snow, his attitude as aloof as ice, and he stood there quietly beside them.

Fang Li: ……

Forget it, if you want to come along, then come along. With all the people here today, sooner or later, there would be a chance to escape.

Tao Lu bought some sugared hawthorns for Fang Li.

But after Fang Lu took the sugared hawthorns, he refused to go back. He insisted on strolling forward, wanting to scoot over and take a look at every single thing, wanting to buy whatever he looked at. After not too long, Tao Lu’s hands were full of sugar figurines, snowflake cakes, meat pies, and all sorts of streetside snacks1……

But Fang Lu remained full of vigor, not showing any intention in the least of returning.

Xie Huai lowered his eyes to glance at Tao Lu. Seeing him fumbling in disarray, he said impassively, “You can go back first.”

Tao Lu actually wanted very much to go back, too. Although he was kind-hearted, in the end, he was still a cultivator, after all. He wasn’t very proficient at taking care of someone, but Xie Huai was even worse!

Although Shixiong seemed to have changed just a tiny bit and wasn’t as cold and alienated towards Fang Li as he had been at the beginning,  and he would occasionally even personally take care of Fang Li, to leave Fang Li to Xie Huai alone—old nanny Tao Lu just couldn’t feel at ease.

He was just about to say that he was fine, he could stay, but he suddenly met Xie Huai’s cold eyes and immediately felt a shiver run down his spine.

N-never mind, it would be better if he went back after all.

Shixiong wouldn’t be unable to so much as take care of a single fool!

Fang Li still had a perplexed expression on his face, but his heart couldn’t help but thump in his chest. He didn’t know what Xie Huai meant by this.

Forget it, without Tao Lu around to lend a hand, he’d sure like to see how long Xie Huai would put up with him.

Xie Huai remained two steps behind Fang Li, watching the young man attentively.

The young man looked perplexed and bewildered, as if he was curious about everything. He would occasionally go look at the street performers, occasionally take a bite of sugared hawthorn, and occasionally reveal a satisfied smile. He walked among the crowd of people, amidst the red dust of the mortal world, as if this was the place where he was most comfortable…..

He liked the hustle and bustle of the mortal world.

That person had also been like this.

Although that person had had an identity that made the whole world shiver in fear, and everyone had said that he was cold-blooded and heartless, with every minute and second that Xie Huai had interacted with him, every time he’d understood him a bit more, he’d realized that hidden underneath that icy exterior was a tender and carefree heart. His gentle calmness had been like a breeze on a spring day, entering one’s heart without the slightest sound.

He hadn’t liked being the demon lord. He’d liked living just like this.

Being a normal person without any worries or cares……

In these nine years, he’d imagined again and again the ridiculous fantasy that if that person was no longer the demon lord, if he had a next life, if he would have precisely this languid, worry-free appearance.

And perhaps the two of them would be able, like hundreds and thousands of common folk, to stroll through the bustling streets together, never again having to face such bitter choices, with no need to walk toward such an irreversible ending.

Now, it was like his dream had become reality.

But, would the heavens really give me such a chance?

Xie Huai didn’t dare to think about it too deeply and closed his eyes.

Fang Li pretended to have not a care in the world as he intentionally scooted towards where the crowd was densest. It seemed like there was a commotion to look at in front, so Fang Li nimbly squeezed on over.

When he got to the very front to see, it turned out that there was an altar on a tall stage, and there was a monk in the middle of a ceremony at the altar to commemorate the Great Sage.

The monk was chanting a sutra. Fang Li couldn’t hear it clearly, and he didn’t dare turn his head back to see, but with all the people crammed together here without so much as a crack to squeeze through, who knew if Xie Huai had followed along or not……

Just as he was contemplating to himself, there was a huge clamor from all around. It seemed like everyone was extremely excited.

A white silhouette flitted past softly, and a spirit beast landed on the altar. The beast was covered in a coat of snow-white fur, with long deer antlers and cloud-like hooves. Its long, slender neck swiveled about, the arc of it beautiful and flowing. It walked comfortably and leisurely on the altar, its pitch-black doe eyes looking down below……

The crowd knelt down one by one.

“An auspicious beast, it’s an auspicious beast!”

“An auspicious beast has arrived, it must be a lucky year!”

“Holy beast, bless us!”

Fang Li alone stood there, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

Everyone was kneeling, so for him to be the only one standing there, wasn’t that a bit too conspicuous? But he was a fool, and nobody had told him to kneel, so was it appropriate for him to understand by himself?

Fang Li thought about it and decided, forget it, it would still be better to stay standing.

He smiled as he looked at the snowy-white spirit beast on the altar. It hadn’t been a waste for him to have saved its life back then. Now it was making a pretty good living for itself, and it even knew to show its face during the holidays and get some delicious food and drink, and there was even a crowd of people to worship it……

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast strolled along the altar. It watched the crowd kneeling below, with only a single youth still standing all alone, currently smiling at it.

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast’s pitch-black eyes looked at Fang Li. After a moment, it suddenly galloped up in a flurry of clouds and arrived before Fang Li, rubbing against Fang Li’s hand intimately with its nose, then happily running in circles around him.

Fang Li: ……

This fellow shouldn’t have recognized him, right? It was only because he’d been the most conspicuous, standing alone in the crowd. That had to be it, right?

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast rubbed against Fang Li for a long time. Seeing that Fang Li was only smiling at it, not speaking or moving, its expression became extremely baffled. It opened its mouth and spat out a five-colored stone, butting its head a few times to butt the rainbow stone into Fang Li’s arms. It then blinked at Fang Li expectantly as it watched him.

Fang Li could only accept the five-colored stone. The stone’s surface was overflowing with colorful lights. At a single glance, one could tell it was immeasurably precious.

Fang Li pondered for a moment and recognized that this was a sky stone. The Cloud-Swallowing Beast had swallowed the stone into its stomach, nurturing it day after day, giving the sky stone the power to help recuperate the mind and body. It was a valuable spiritual treasure for assisting in cultivation that one could only hope to stumble upon……

Moreover, it was precisely what he needed right now.

With this sky stone, his body would be able to recover even faster, nurturing his damaged meridians as soon as possible.

But……

Fang Li looked back cautiously. As expected, Xie Huai was still by his side.

Xie  Huai’s expression was still impassive. He didn’t even give the Cloud-Swallowing Beast a single glance, as if he didn’t care about any of it.

But Fang Li inexplicably felt like the stone in his hands was suddenly scalding hot, and he accidentally let it fall to the ground……

At this, Xie Huai’s eyelashes finally stirred slightly, his line of sight sweeping past Fang Li’s face. He bent down to pick up the stone, stuffing it into Fang Li’s hands, then said slowly and deliberately, “Seeing as it gave this to you, you should properly accept it. All things have a soul. Don’t betray its sincere intentions.”

Fang Li: “……” He didn’t know why, but he kept feeling like Xie Huai’s words had another meaning to them……

It must be his misperception, right?

Fang Li held the stone tightly in his hands, took in a deep breath, then raised it to the sunlight to look at it. His eyes curved into a smile. “Lovely, pretty.”

Then he put it by his chest like a precious treasure.

I’m accepting it carefully, can the two of you let me go now?!

Xie Huai didn’t have much of an expression on his face.

Seeing Fang Li accept the stone, the Cloud-Swallowing Beast let out several delighted snorts, then circled around Fang Li a few more times before finally reluctantly stepping upon clouds to leave.

The crowd that was kneeling around them finally stood up, all of them looking enviously at this little fool of a fellow.

Who would’ve thought that a fool would have fool’s luck? Because he’d been standing and hadn’t knelt, he’d unexpectedly received the Cloud-Swallowing Beast’s gift. This was probably fate, wasn’t it!

Only Fang Li’s heart was full of burdens.

The Cloud-Swallowing Beast’s appearance had truly been untimely……

But, that couldn’t prove that he was Yan Sui! It could also be because he’d been standing, so the Cloud-Swallowing Beast had coincidentally picked him, after all.

Everything was just a coincidence!

As long as he didn’t admit it, what could Xie Huai do? It wasn’t like the Cloud-Swallowing Beast could talk.

The sky stone was tucked into the lapels of Fang Li’s robes. He’d only come out for a stroll and had ended up receiving a spiritual treasure. But this truly was like being gifted a pillow when he was sleepy.

Now, with the sky stone, even if he didn’t do anything at all, his body and soul would be constantly recuperating, which would cut down on a lot of time for him.

Only, Xie Huai……

Fang Li let out a gloomy sigh in his heart.

How pure and tranquil of a person had Xie Huai been back then? At Hollow Ridge, he’d been Fang Li’s comrade, the only person whose thoughts had been interconnected with his, but the Xie Huai right now was impossible to see through, his every word and action impossible to fathom, and even looking at him made one nervous……

If Xie Huai found out his identity and knew that Fang Li had tricked him like this, he definitely wouldn’t let him off lightly.

No way, he had to leave after all.

Because the Cloud-Swallowing Beast had already left, the ceremony also gradually came to a close. Seeing that the crowd was about to disperse……

Fang Li suddenly looked toward a man beside him. The man unexpectedly met Fang Li’s eyes, and light seemed to flash through the young man’s black pupils. The man suddenly felt an onset of dizziness, and he crashed into Xie Huai, who was standing next to him.

The man grabbed onto Xie Huai dizzily, shaking his head. After a moment, his head cleared up again, and he apologized with embarrassment, “Sorry, sorry, maybe it’s too hot……”

At the moment, it was noon. The sun was bright in the sky, and plenty of people had been standing all day. It was normal to be a bit dizzy.

Xie Huai shook off the man without a sound. When he lifted his eyes again, Fang Li was already gone without a trace.

Fang Li had cast a little spell to have that person stop Xie Huai for a moment, then had followed the flow of the crowd to escape.

There really were a lot of people here.

The crowd was dense and thick, and having a fool wander off and get lost would be all too normal.

Fang Li let the flow of people take him. Only after a long time had passed did he step out of the crowd. His expression shifted, and he walked in the direction of the city center.

When Xie Huai discovered that he was gone, he would definitely look for him. If he tried to leave the city now, wouldn’t he get caught right away?

He prepared to find a place inside the city to hide first, and after Xie Huai had left, then he would see.

With all the people here, he didn’t believe Xie Huai would be able to catch him.

When the time came, he would quietly return home and pretend that Xie Huai had told him to leave. With all certainty, his dad wouldn’t dare to go looking for Xie Huai to confront him……

The corners of Fang Li’s lips hooked up.

His movements were nimble as he turned into a little alleyway. But just as he turned the corner, he was caught unprepared and ran into someone. He was just about to apologize when he raised his head and met a pair of murky eyes, and his words immediately caught in his throat.

The white-robed man looked at him profoundly, the expression in his dark eyes murky and unreadable. His lips parted slightly and he said slowly, “Where are you going?”

……………………………………

The Author Has Something to Say:

Cloud-Swallowing Beast: Did I show up at a bad time?

Fang Li: What do you think : )

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1 This part made me super hungry so everyone else should be too.