The wound on his back had not yet healed completely, and Jing Feirong was lying on the bed. The room was dim, with only the moonlight from the window shining in. The mottled shadows of the trees swayed between the bed curtains, and the evening breeze was cool.
Chu Yanchuan entered the room, took off his outer robe beside the bed, and just as he lay down, Jing Feirong hugged his waist and immediately leaned his head over to press on his chest. Jing Feirong lay on Dijun’s chest, and Chu Yanchuan touched his head without saying anything.
“Did Dijun bring that bag of white peach preserves for me?”
After Jing Feirong woke up, he found a bag of candied fruit on the bedside. He thought he had remembered it wrongly, but now he thought that Chu Yanchuan must have come when he was unconscious. What he thought was a dream was actually real—Dijun healed his wounds, fed him water, and kissed him.
“Yes.” Chu Yanchuan replied.
Jing Feirong said softly, “Father also likes to eat white peach preserves.”
Chu Yanchuan blinked slowly: “En.”
“When did Dijun and Father meet?”
“We knew each other before the creation of the world. We survived the Great Chaos together. When the world was created, we encountered a catastrophe. It was Linyun who saved me and helped me transform into a physical body.” Chu Yanchuan spoke slowly. “Later, he, I, and the gods worked together to eliminate the demons and set up the Demon Seal.”
At that time, they were still a tree and a phoenix. The divine phoenix lived beside the sacred tree and accompanied each other for ten thousand years. The world was dark and colorless. One day, a silver light suddenly shone like a giant blade cutting through the universe. The path of heaven opened, fire ignited the clouds, thunder roared, and the divine phoenix flapped its wings and rushed towards the crack in the sky, facing the flames. The thunder pointed directly at the main peak of Suliang Mountain and struck the sacred tree one after another.
The branches and leaves fell, and the sacred tree’s soul was about to break. The divine phoenix took a step ahead of him, crying out in nirvana from the sky flames, and survived the heavenly tribulation. Then it swooped down and used its body as a shield to block the last thunder for the sacred tree. The thunder passed through the phoenix’s body and reached the sacred tree’s soul. The divine phoenix folded its wings and turned into a human form. A stream of spiritual power flowed out of its fingertips and poured into the sacred tree. Yu Linyun held the hand that was stretched upward and pulled Chu Yanchuan out of his original body. The long hair and robes of the two intertwined and flew in the thunder flames. After looking at each other tacitly for a moment, they both flew into the sky and created the world with the gods.
Jing Feirong didn’t say anything and hugged Chu Yanchuan’s waist tightly. Dijun and his father had known each other for such a long time and had shared hardships and tribulations. Now a close friend has died, and Chu Yanchuan has been guarding the place where his old friend died day and night for more than 7,000 years. Those scenes were replayed in his mind over and over again. Isn’t this a kind of torture?
“Dijun.” After a long while, Jing Feirong spoke in a low voice, “I have grown up and have the ability to save my father. Don’t be sad anymore.”
“I believe Your Highness has the ability, but I don’t want Your Highness to get hurt.” Chu Yanchuan said.
He stroked Jing Feirong’s back. After proposing a divorce that day, Chu Yanchuan thought Jing Feirong would be ashamed and angry, but no, Jing Feirong did not vent his anger on him, he just left the bedchamber without saying a word. Chu Yanchuan did not expect that he would directly question the Heavenly Emperor, and he did not expect that Jing Feirong would be punished with 500 lashes for mentioning Yu Linyun.
Jing Feirong raised his head and asked in the mottled moonlight, “If I get hurt, will Dijun be sad?”
Chi Tuo appeared in human form again. If Jing Feirong wanted to destroy him completely, he was ready to give up all his cultivation—as long as he could save his father’s soul.
“Yes.” Chu Yanchuan looked at him and answered.
“Then I must be careful not to get hurt and not to make Dijun sad.”
After Jing Feirong finished saying this, he leaned over and kissed the corner of Chu Yanchuan’s mouth. Chu Yanchuan raised his hand and touched his face, and after a moment, he gave him a longer kiss.
None of them mentioned the Heavenly Emperor. Chu Yanchuan had been separated from the Heavenly Emperor many years ago. After experiencing and witnessing everything, Jing Feirong finally determined that power is power and Dao is Dao, and they can never be balanced.
He knew that the Heavenly Emperor had his own difficulties and was forced to do so. He also knew that he had been living in endless guilt and regret because, ever since Jing Feirong could remember, his father, the King—the Supreme of the Six Realms and the Chief of the Dragon Clan—always wore robes with phoenix patterns.
But since he has made the choice, he should bear the consequences.
When Jing Feirong opened his eyes, he subconsciously looked to the side—Dijun was still there.
He took out the pacifier. Chu Yanchuan seemed not to have woken up yet. Jing Feirong quietly got out of bed, went to the study to get paper and a brush, then returned to the bed, pulled a low couch, spread the paper, and started to draw Dijun’s sleeping face.
When he finished the painting, he found it very ugly. He couldn’t even say that it was very different from the real person. He can only say that it was completely unrelated.
Jing Feirong put away the paper and brush in dismay and was about to stand up when Chu Yanchuan suddenly opened his eyes, turned his head to look at him, and said, “Will Your Highness let me see the painting?”
“……” Jing Feirong put the painting behind her back with some embarrassmentm “It’s not a good-looking painting. I’ll show it to Dijun when I draw something good next time.”
Chu Yanchuan slowly sat up, stepped off the bed, and walked in front of Jing Feirong. Jing Feirong was afraid that he would snatch the painting, so he immediately became alert, but Chu Yanchuan just held his face, tilted his head, and kissed the corner of his mouth.
Every time Dijun took the initiative, it was a critical hit for Jing Feirong. His ears and face instantly turned red, and his peach blossom eyes widened. Chu Yanchuan touched his face, looked into his eyes, and said softly: “Since the painting is of me, let me see it, alright?”
The little dragon was stunned and obediently handed over the ugly painting. Chu Yanchuan opened it, looked at it for a while, and said, “It’s an ugly painting, but I like it very much.”
The slap and honey were smeared on Jing Feirong’s face. He didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. In the end, happiness prevailed—although the painting was ugly, Dijun liked it very much because he drew it.
To round it off, Dijun loves me and loves my dog1This is a Chinese proverb that means that when you love someone, you are more likely to love the thing or person that has to do with them., he likes me!
Jing Feirong picked up Chu Yanchuan, walked a few steps to the bed, pressed him down, and was about to kiss him, but Chu Yanchuan raised his hand to block his mouth and said, “Your Highness, it’s getting late. It’s time to go patrol the Demon Realm.”
Although there was a beauty on the couch, but he couldn’t ignore what he had to do. Jing Feirong nodded and kissed Chu Yanchuan on the face. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Dijun, please don’t leave. Stay here for the time being, alright?”
He didn’t have any hope, but he really wanted Dijun to be with him, so he mustered up the courage to speak out.
“Alright.” Chu Yanchuan agreed very straightforwardly: “Your Highness, go early and come back early. I’ll wait for you.”
Go early and come back early, I’ll wait for you.
Jing Feirong was stunned for a moment, then immediately got up, changed clothes, and went out—go early and come back early, he has to go early to come back early, he has to seize every moment and leave quickly!
After the person left, Chu Yanchuan put on his outer robe, rolled up the portrait, and went to the study to find a painting tube. He accidentally knocked over a larger painting tube, which was heavy, and he didn’t know what was in it. He opened the lid and pulled out a stack of papers inside.
There were dozens of pieces of paper, with the handwriting on them being somewhat messy and sloppy, and the font sizes were also random, large and small. It was obvious that they were written unconsciously when the mind was distracted. And on these pieces of paper, there was a dense, full name written on them——
Chu Yanchuan, Chu Yanchuan, Chu Yanchuan, Chu Yanchuan…
The crooked names were like the Fifth Prince’s restless yet sincere thoughts, written down stroke by stroke and then carefully rolled up and put into a painting tube that never saw daylight.
Chu Yanchuan looked out the window unconsciously. During the time when he left without saying goodbye to meditate, Jing Feirong probably sat in the study like this every day, daydreaming and writing one sheet after another.
He always called Chu Yanchuan “Dijun”, but in his heart, he had already recited the Dijun’s name thousands of times in the most intimate and coquettish tone.
His fingertips brushed across the inky black handwriting, as if touching Jing Feirong’s beating heart. Chu Yanchuan’s wrist trembled, and his eyes fell on the paper, unable to move at all.
「He is just a dog waiting for you to come home. He hides under the eaves when the sun is strong, and he shakes his fur when it rains. He does what he is supposed to do every day, he eats and sleeps as usual, but the rest of the time is spent thinking about you. When he thinks about you, he writes your name with his paws. Every time he thinks of you, he writes a name. The handwriting is ugly, but the love is true.」
