Before Bai Jinshu even approached Ye Lihen’s room, he heard scattered and unsteady notes of a xiao. In many ways, Ye Lihen was naturally gifted, but when it came to learning the bamboo flute, his aptitude was rather mediocre. After practicing for an entire afternoon, he still couldn’t produce a stable single note, and listening to it only added to Bai Jinshu’s agitation.
As Bai Jinshu reached the door, the sound of the xiao stopped. “Come in.” the voice inside called out before he could knock.
With Ye Lihen’s level of cultivation, it was no surprise he had sensed Bai Jinshu approaching, especially since Bai Jinshu hadn’t tried to hide his footsteps. Yet, before pushing the door open, Bai Jinshu found himself instinctively taking a deep breath.
When he finally entered the room, Ye Lihen rose from the table and came to meet him.
“Is there something you need from me?”
Before responding, Bai Jinshu hesitated for a moment, then asked a seemingly unrelated question, “When did it start? You said if I didn’t respond, it would be your own matter. When did that begin?”
Ye Lihen appeared confused by the sudden and unexpected question but didn’t ask for clarification. “It was back then when you turned your horse around and were provoked by the bandits, yet you smiled at them and said, ‘Can’t I just have a look?'” His voice grew quieter, and the tips of his ears reddened with embarrassment, but he answered earnestly, “It was that moment. You were the most unique person I’ve ever met.”
“You’re definitely much smarter than I am to have figured it out so early.”
Ye Lihen’s eyes widened in rare surprise.
Bai Jinshu continued speaking, taking what might be his last opportunity to speak his true feelings, “I’ve only now realized that this thing, which I didn’t even know when it truly began, has been going on for a while.”
Ye Lihen looked at Bai Jinshu, his gaze somewhat dazed.
Bai Jinshu slowly moved closer to him, step by step.
The person who usually acted as if everything was under control now looked shy and unsure. He glanced up at Bai Jinshu with a mix of nervousness and delight. Bai Jinshu lowered his head and kissed his lips, closing his eyes to avoid seeing Ye Lihen’s expression.
“Brother Bai?” Ye Lihen instinctively called out when their lips finally parted slightly, a hint of uncertainty in his tone.
Bai Jinshu didn’t answer. Instead, he kissed him again, while his hands began undoing Ye Lihen’s clothes.
Ye Lihen’s body stiffened slightly, but he didn’t resist, simply clutching Bai Jinshu’s sleeves tightly as his clothes were slowly peeled away layer by layer.
Bai Jinshu averted his gaze from Ye Lihen’s helpless and bewildered face, his hands moving to explore beneath the other’s underwear.
Just a bit lower, Bai Jinshu pulled Ye Lihen into his arms, his eyes drifting past his shoulder to glance downward, where he had pulled the underwear slightly away.
On the left side of Ye Lihen’s lower back, there was indeed a birthmark shaped like a willow leaf.
In the next moment, Bai Jinshu’s fingers moved from the waistband to Ye Lihen’s upper back, pressing down on his Da Zhui acupoint and channeling his internal energy to seal it.
Unable to move, Ye Lihen looked up at Bai Jinshu in confusion.
Even amidst a whirlwind of emotions, Bai Jinshu found it difficult to meet Ye Lihen’s gaze, which now seemed so clear and pure. Lowering his head, Bai Jinshu began to redress him, speaking without thinking, “About a month ago, I heard that the righteous sects were planning to attack the demonic sects, so I decided to investigate the Huo Lian Sect while I was in their territory. I didn’t manage to do much or successfully infiltrate their main headquarters, but I did observe a few things from the outside. For example, the most luxurious courtyard next to the restricted area likely belonged to the sect leader, but at the time, someone else was living there. I overheard a few maidservants referring to the occupant as the ‘Young Lord’ and mentioning that he was bathing in the nearby hot springs. It was purely by chance that I passed by those hot springs and saw that ‘Young Lord’ from behind. I didn’t see his face, but I did notice that he had a birthmark on his lower back—shaped like a willow leaf. Just like the one you have.”
As Bai Jinshu continued to speak, he felt his heart grow colder with every word, while Ye Lihen’s gaze also grew colder. When Bai Jinshu finally finished, Ye Lihen replied in a low voice, “If you wanted to ask me about my identity, there was no need to deceive me like this. You could have just asked, and I would have told you the truth.”
Bai Jinshu bitterly retorted, “If you were really willing to tell me, then why didn’t you mention it even once all this time? You knew we were about to hold a martial arts conference to attack the Huo Lian Sect. Why did you follow me? What is your real motive?”
Ye Lihen softened his tone, rarely showing such sincerity. “Brother Bai, I do hope the situation with the attack on the Huo Lian Sect can be resolved differently, but I promise, I have no ill intentions.”
Bai Jinshu couldn’t bring himself to ask any more questions. He couldn’t trust Ye Lihen, but he also couldn’t bear to face the doubts he had about him. He didn’t know if he would end up crippling Ye Lihen’s martial arts to stop him from causing harm, or if he would let him go out of pity, allowing him to continue wreaking havoc on the righteous sects.
Staring into Ye Lihen’s eyes, Bai Jinshu took a step back.
“If you won’t tell me the truth, that’s fine. But I hope you won’t hide anything from my Master and Martial Uncle.”
Leaving the immobilized Ye Lihen behind, Bai Jinshu quietly exited the room.
Trusting Bai Jinshu, his Master and Martial Uncle hadn’t stayed near Ye Lihen’s room. Instead, they waited for him in the side hall, expecting his report.
Though Bai Jinshu now had a definite answer in his heart, he didn’t know how to put it into words. Silently, he led his Master and Martial Uncle to Ye Lihen’s room. Seeing Ye Lihen standing there, unable to move, they quickly understood the situation from Bai Jinshu’s expression alone.
“Jinshu, are you certain?” Jiang Cheng, usually calm and composed, now wore an unusually fierce and cold expression.
It was rare for Bai Jinshu to see his Martial Uncle so angry, and he couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret.
Bai Jinshu knew that Jiang Cheng had been deceived by a demonic sect woman in his youth, resulting in the loss of an important treasure called the Fubei Token. Due to the depth of his feelings and the treasure’s theft, Jiang Cheng still harbored a deep resentment. Despite this, Jiang Cheng had remained fair and objective in his role as Wulin Alliance Leader and hadn’t let that incident make him overly hostile toward the demonic sects. This was one of the main reasons Bai Jinshu had involved him in this situation. However, Bai Jinshu hadn’t considered that being tricked in love might be an even deeper wound for Jiang Cheng than the loss of the treasure. And since Jiang Cheng had observed Bai Jinshu’s interactions with Ye Lihen, he now saw Bai Jinshu as a reflection of his younger self and Ye Lihen as the embodiment of the one person he still held a grudge against.
“Martial Uncle, we don’t have concrete evidence yet.” Seeing the coldness in Jiang Cheng’s eyes, Bai Jinshu instinctively tried to downplay the situation.
But his words were of no use. Bai Jinshu may have been reckless at times, but he never spoke irresponsibly. The fact that he had brought his Master and Martial Uncle here meant that he was confident in his conclusion. Jiang Cheng, knowing his nephew well, paid no attention to Bai Jinshu’s attempt to brush things off. His cold, angry gaze remained fixed on Ye Lihen.
“What is your position in the demonic sect? What was your true purpose in approaching us?”
“I had no ulterior motives.” Ye Lihen answered, meeting Jiang Cheng’s eyes.
This answer didn’t satisfy Jiang Cheng. His expression grew even more severe as he extended a hand. “You’ve seen me use my internal energy to strike the Qu Chi acupoint, haven’t you? You know how unbearable the pain can be. Perhaps a trained assassin or a death warrior could endure it in silence, but do you think you can?”
Fear briefly flickered in Ye Lihen’s eyes, but he forced himself to stay calm. “I’m not lying. I’ve told you the truth. If you give me time, I can prove it.”
Jiang Cheng was unmoved. “It seems you really do want to test your limits.” His tone was cold, filled with anger and bitterness. Usually, as Wulin Alliance Leader, Jiang Cheng never acted independently without his senior brother’s consent. But now, his anger had taken control of him.
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