EMS Chapter 11

That night, Feng Lingjun suffered quite a bit. Originally, he didn’t want to continue, but for some reason, Chuqian suddenly became overwhelmed with sadness. The fierce object still buried within him showed no sign of diminishing. Tears began to roll down his chin as he cried while also tormenting him without end.

 

This person was really very prone to tears.

 

Feng Lingjun felt a headache coming on and became even more worried about what Chuqian would do if he died. It was better not to die if possible.

 

But the situation was beyond his control, what was already decided could not be taken back. Perhaps the Martial Arts Alliance was also afraid he would change his mind. Alliance Leader Zhao personally came to Weishui City, leading a group of righteous figures to hold a grand “Oath Ceremony” for him. He was practically on the grill now, with no way to turn back.

 

On the day of the Oath Ceremony, Feng Lingjun stood in the centre of the crowd. He was already good-looking and had an extraordinary demeanour, making him the most eye-catching one no matter where he was. Now, with labels like “Young hero,” “Daring to be the first,” and “Loyalty and righteousness” placed upon him, he nearly radiated light.

 

Whether they knew the truth or not, everyone had to flatter him a bit. Surrounded by so many admirers, he heard the most compliments he had ever heard in a day, to the point that his teeth ached.

 

Chuqian was nearby, watching him from a distance. For the past few days, they had been inseparable. Feng Lingjun wanted to go out alone to handle some matters, but Chuqian wouldn’t allow it and insisted on following him everywhere.

 

Feng Lingjun didn’t want to part with him either, but the closer they got, the more difficult it would be to separate when the time came. He couldn’t think of any good way to handle it, so he could only let things take their course. There wasn’t even a glimmer of hope; he was just afraid of the unexpected.

 

28th September, there were still a few days until the appointed date.

 

Feng Lingjun basically didn’t go out anymore, spending each day in the inn, focusing on accompanying Chuqian.

 

Feng Lingjun noticed that compared to half a year ago on Wangchun Mountain, Chuqian’s martial arts had significantly improved, and in an outrageous manner. At first, he thought it was because Chuqian had grown up into an adult and practised that unknown secret manual. Later, he realised that Chuqian indeed practised well, but the reality was even more complex. What puzzled Feng Lingjun was that within Chuqian’s body was a powerful inner force that didn’t seem to belong to him.

 

Chuqian was completely unaware of this. Feng Lingjun could only guide him to think back carefully to see if anyone had ever transmitted inner power to him. Chuqian thought for a long time and recalled events from when his master was still alive.

 

However, that had already been over three years ago. At that time, his master spoke vaguely, and he hadn’t taken it to heart or felt any abnormalities in his body. Moreover, shortly after that, his master passed away, and in his grief, he couldn’t be bothered to ponder these things and soon forgot all about them.

 

In the following three years, he lived an ordinary life in the mountains, and everything remained unchanged until Feng Lingjun appeared.

 

“That must be your master,” Feng Lingjun sighed. “He passed his lifetime of martial arts to you, but you didn’t grasp it correctly until you practised that secret manual, awakening the inner power sealed in your meridians?”

 

Chuqian listened, bewildered.

 

Feng Lingjun said, “I’m just guessing. Why don’t you try using your power?”

 

Chuqian sat cross-legged on the bed, following Feng Lingjun’s instructions. He closed his eyes, silently reciting the mental formula from the manual, attempting to channel the true energy in his meridians and integrate it.

 

After several tries, he achieved no results.

 

Chuqian opened his eyes and looked at Feng Lingjun expectantly. Feng Lingjun smiled gently at him, “Don’t rush, take your time.”

 

However, “taking your time” was a luxury. Feng Lingjun had only a few days left to “take it slow,” and the pressing urgency hanging over him felt like a knife. He felt somewhat relieved that at least Chuqian had martial arts skills, so he wouldn’t be bullied in the future.

 

But no one would complain about having too much martial prowess. Feng Lingjun hoped Chuqian would be stronger, even stronger still, so he devoted himself to teaching Chuqian for several consecutive days.

 

At first, Chuqian was unwilling to cooperate. He seemed listless and didn’t care about the level of his inner power. He was only interested in being close to Feng Lingjun, wanting them to be together at all times. During the day, he would hold Feng Lingjun’s hand while practising, and at night, he wanted to cuddle while sleeping.

 

Whenever Feng Lingjun showed signs of leaving, Chuqian would react violently, either throwing a tantrum or lying on Feng Lingjun’s shoulder with a silent, sorrowful expression, leaving Feng Lingjun feeling helpless.

 

Perhaps due to his emotional state, Chuqian had lost some weight recently, and his eyes carried a hint of weariness. However, this appearance only served to strip away his youthful innocence, making his features more defined. The lines from his nose to chin became sharper and more handsome, and he seemed to have grown a little taller as well.

 

Feng Lingjun had a knack for poking at people’s hearts. As they lay entwined on the bed, after a lingering kiss, with his waist still held by Chuqian, he suddenly said something off-topic: “Qing’er, you’re so good-looking, you’ll definitely attract many people in the future.”

 

Chuqian glanced at him and didn’t respond.

 

Feng Lingjun continued, “If I’m not around, you should practise your martial arts well, marry a beautiful wife, and live a carefree life—”

 

Before he could finish, Chuqian suddenly rolled over, pinning Feng Lingjun beneath him and biting him fiercely.

 

“I won’t listen to you!” Chuqian’s eyes were red, and he bit down hard enough to break the skin at the corner of Feng Lingjun’s mouth. He was both fierce and aggrieved, choking back tears as he said, “Who do you want to send me off to? I won’t listen to you! If you dare to die, I’ll dig up your coffin and crawl in to keep you company!”

 

“…”

 

What he said was quite frightening. Feng Lingjun couldn’t laugh or cry. He felt distressed and thought to himself: I can’t even rest peacefully in death. What kind of karma did I accumulate in my past life to end up in this situation? Could this be what they call being cursed by romantic fate? No wonder it’s called a “curse.”

 

After a lot of effort, Feng Lingjun finally managed to calm Chuqian down, but the next day, Chuqian suddenly changed his attitude and inexplicably became willing to practise martial arts properly with him. Feng Lingjun often taught disciples in his school, so he had a good grasp of this aspect. Under his guidance, Chuqian made rapid progress after just a few days of practice.

 

Feng Lingjun realised that Chuqian was not the hopelessly wooden lump that his master had described. He was clearly a piece of jade, just someone who opened up a bit later.

 

Feeling slightly reassured, Feng Lingjun took Chuqian out for a stroll during their free time. Unfortunately, Chuqian was only interested in sticking close to him and showed no interest in any beautiful scenery or delicious food outside of that.

 

On one occasion, when Alliance Leader Zhao asked about Chuqian’s identity, Feng Lingjun casually mentioned he was a “distant cousin.” At the time, Chuqian didn’t react much, but later expressed his discontent. Feng Lingjun thought to himself that Chuqian had been throwing fewer tantrums lately, instead developing a knack for being spoiled, often leaving him at a loss for what to do… Even girls didn’t act so spoiled, right? When he furrowed his brows and looked over with those pitiful eyes, Feng Lingjun’s heart would ache in response.

 

—How could he look so pitiful?

 

Feng Lingjun thought, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to close my eyes in death.”

 

…

 

On the eighth day of the tenth month, a strong wind swept through Weishui City.

 

The wind blew away all the fallen leaves in the city, leaving only bare tree trunks and branches under the pale sunlight. After noon, even the sunlight disappeared, and the sky turned gloomy, pressing down on the intricately carved windows of the inn, making it look like a heavy snowfall was imminent.

 

Feng Lingjun went out alone to buy Chuqian a new outfit for warmth. He thought that when Chuqian changed into it, he would show a hint of bashfulness, and just imagining that scene made his heart flutter.

 

Unfortunately, his expectations fell flat. Chuqian didn’t play along at all, not only did he fail to give the reaction Feng Lingjun had hoped for, but he also seemed somewhat distracted. Feng Lingjun didn’t press the issue, as tonight was the day of his decisive battle with Qin Qing. It was only natural that Chuqian would act out of character.

 

In the evening, Chuqian returned with a jug of wine. As he walked in, Feng Lingjun was polishing his sword, his index and middle fingers pressed together, gently gliding over the cold, white blade with a look of unprecedented focus.

 

Chuqian set the wine jug on the table, walked over, and hugged Feng Lingjun from behind.

 

“Are you leaving now?” Chuqian asked, “Are you heading to the old woods on the west side of the city? Can I come with you?”

 

He had asked this question many times before, and no answer was needed.

 

Chuqian seemed to be talking to himself, softly saying, “The wind has stopped outside and the dark clouds have cleared. It’s a good omen, I’ll wait for you to come back.”

 

“……” Feng Lingjun’s throat tightened as he suddenly understood what it meant that “A hero always loses themselves to beauties¹英雄难过美人关 – Heroes often lose their fighting spirit and fall into disgrace because of their obsession with beauties..” The sweeter and softer something was, the more irresistible it became. Rather than disappointing a beauty, he would rather walk on a mountain of knives or into a sea of fire.

 

Feng Lingjun silently turned around and embraced Chuqian.

 

Chuqian suddenly broke free from his arms, went to the table, and poured two cups of wine, one for himself and one for Feng Lingjun.

 

Without thinking, Feng Lingjun drank it. When he finished, he saw Chuqian looking at him with tear-filled eyes, trembling hands nearly spilling half of the wine in his cup, but he hesitated to drink. Feng Lingjun grasped his hand and, using his trembling fingers, drank the other cup as well.

 

“Why are you crying again? You haven’t smiled at me in a long time, Qian’er.”

 

“……”

 

Upon hearing this, Chuqian forced a smile that was even uglier than his tears.

 

Feng Lingjun felt a pang in his heart but didn’t dare say anything too emotional to provoke more tears from him. Instead, he simply said, “Alright, you wait for me here, I will definitely…” Before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly stumbled, nearly falling over.

 

He clutched the bedpost. When he looked up at Chu Qian again, there seemed to be double images before his eyes and he couldn’t see clearly.

 

“……Qian’er?” Feng Lingjun’s heart trembled, realising there was something wrong with the wine. “What are you trying to do?”

 

“I’m not trying to do anything.” With tears still on his eyelashes, Chuqian took a couple of steps closer and, just like in their intimate moments, pressed Feng Lingjun down onto the bed, trembling as he said, “I just can’t bear to part with you.”

 

“……”

 

Feng Lingjun frowned, but Chuqian seemed to have put something in the wine. He felt his strength rapidly draining away, making even frowning to be difficult.

 

He gradually found it difficult to open his eyes, his eyelids felt as heavy as a thousand pounds, like the responsibilities he had always carried, pressing down on him, leaving him unable to escape.

 

Feng Lingjun involuntarily slowed his breathing. In a hazy state of consciousness, he heard the sound of rustling around him. Chuqian somehow found a length of rope, first removing his outer clothing and boots, then securely tying him to the bed.

 

Next, a shadow leaned closer, and Chuqian lowered his head, gently kissing him.

 

“Brother Lingjun.” Chuqian’s scorching breath was close enough to feel, pressing against his face, lingering on his lips repeatedly.

 

“Brother Lingjun…” Chuqian called out to Feng Lingjun again, “I don’t want you to get hurt, and I certainly don’t want you to die. Why do you have to be a hero? I don’t want you to become their hero.”

 

“……”

 

“If someone must take the risk, I would rather take your place.”

 

No, don’t…

 

Feng Lingjun couldn’t make a sound, struggling with all his might, but all he managed was to move his fingers slightly.

 

Chuqian lowered his head to kiss him again, as if he could never get enough, cupping his face with both hands, affectionately rubbing against him for a moment before kissing his eyes.

 

“I’m leaving.” Chuqian put on Feng Lingjun’s clothes, picked up his sword, and, mimicking his earlier tone, stubbornly said, “Wait for me here; I will definitely…”

 

Definitely what?

 

Did he mean he would definitely come back?

 

Chuqian took one last look at Feng Lingjun and resolutely pushed the door open to leave.

 

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  英雄难过美人关 – Heroes often lose their fighting spirit and fall into disgrace because of their obsession with beauties.