After Jing Feirong finished patrolling the Southern Region, he arrived in the Northern Region. He stood outside the barrier of the Withered Swamp and stared at the Demon Seal, where his father’s soul was trapped from afar.
There were footsteps behind him, and Yu Cang walked to Jing Feirong’s side and said, “Dijun has already told Your Highness?”
“En.” Jing Feirong nodded and then smiled. “I used to wonder why a god like Dijun would be a deputy general in the Underworld. Now I think Dijun is just guarding father.”
He turned his head and looked at Yu Cang. “Is the Lord of the Underworld also familiar with my father?”
“His Eldest Highness and I have been trained by the two Dijun since we were young.”
“So Dijun and Father are your and my elder brother’s masters. No wonder…”
——No wonder he has been obsessed with rescuing Yu Linyun for more than 7,000 years.
“If I hadn’t known the past when I entered the illusion this time, when would you all have told me?” Jing Feirong asked.
“No one is completely sure.” Yu Cang replied, “If Dijun’s spirit hadn’t been unable to hold on, he also wouldn’t have handed over the totem and barrier to Your Highness so early.”
But Jing Feirong felt that it was too late. Chu Yanchuan was holding on to his precarious soul, waiting for him to grow up and be able to fight against Chi Tuo, while suffering from the inability to take out Yu Linyun’s soul as soon as possible. How hard must it be? It should have been earlier, and he should have shared everything earlier—but that would not be Chu Yanchuan.
Jing Feirong was silent for a while and said, “I have to go back.”
His sudden report made Yu Cang unsure of how to respond. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “Alright.”
Then Jing Feirong wiped her red eyes and continued, “I miss Dijun. I want to go back.”
Yu Cang: “……”
Jing Feirong returned to the Heavenly Palace but met the Heavenly Emperor on the way. It was the first time they had met since the five hundred whips. Jing Feirong only took one look at him, and his mind kept recalling the scene from more than seven thousand years ago, when his father was determined to kill the devil using him, and his father tried his best to save him.
For the sake of all living beings in the six realms, sometimes the judgment of right and wrong is meaningless, but no one can completely measure it with a one-size-fits-all attitude, so it is not easy to let go.
His father was actually not much different from what he had been many years ago, only his expression and eyes were different. He still has a handsome and proud young face, but Jing Feirong suddenly realized that he had never seen his father smile. At least, Jing Feirong had never seen the same smile he gave to Yu Linyun in the illusion.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and when the Heavenly Emperor was about to speak, Jing Feirong silently walked around him and went forward without looking back.
As soon as Jing Feirong entered the courtyard, he saw Chu Yanchuan, who was bending over to fiddle with a water lily in the pond. Seeing him coming back, Chu Yanchuan stood up, gathered his sleeves, and said, “Your Highness is back.”
It was not until this moment that Jing Feirong felt the reality of being married—his soulmate was waiting for him to come home.
“En.” Jing Feirong walked over, glanced at the water lilies in the pond, and asked, “What is Dijun doing?”
“I have nothing to do, so I took a look.”
Jing Feirong didn’t say anything but reached out to hug Dijun. Noticing that he was in a bad mood, Chu Yanchuan touched his head and asked, “Is Your Highness tired?”
“No.” Jing Feirong sniffed, nudged Chu Yanchuan’s neck, and said, “I think Dijun is the one who’s tired.”
Chu Yanchuan was stunned for a moment, and Jing Feirong continued, “Guilt, helplessness, withered, waiting… Each one is very heavy.”
There is also the long-lasting longing, the crumbling soul, and the backlash of the totem. It only takes a moment to be crushed, and it will be all over. But if one grits their teeth and bears it, it will be like slow torture, and they will not be able to swallow it even if they chew it through.
Chu Yanchuan looked at the vast sky outside the courtyard wall, feeling a little dazed. The deities respected him, and no one could see what he was thinking, but Jing Feirong wanted to peel him off bit by bit, touch his old wounds, and touch his soft spots—Chu Yanchuan would not say he was tired, so Jing Feirong would just say it for him.
There was silence, with only the occasional chirping of birds. Jing Feirong sniffed the cool fragrance on Chu Yanchuan’s body and kissed him on the side of his neck. Then the kiss gradually moved upwards, from his adam’s apple to his chin, to his jaw, to the side of his face. Finally, he gently sucked Chu Yanchuan’s lips and licked them with the tip of his tongue.
Beside the lotus pond, under a pear tree, Jing Feirong hugged Chu Yanchuan’s waist and kissed him, their lips rubbing against each other, their tongues entwined, both of them were somewhat moved. But Chu Yanchuan suddenly pushed Jing Feirong away, panting slightly, and said, “Your Highness, now I don’t really want to…”
——don’t really want to do it because they haven’t divorced yet. Every time they do it, the totem will be passed on to Jing Feirong. Chu Yanchuan was worried that it would backfire on Jing Feirong. Besides, his primordial spirit has already weakened to a critical point, and he was afraid that it may also be difficult to save him even with the dragon spirit.
But Jing Feirong stared at him and said, “Then I’ll just kiss until Dijun wants to do it.”
Jing Feirong originally wanted to wait until Chi Tuo was eliminated before taking over the totem and bearing the backlash, because he had to ensure that he had enough cultivation to fight against Chi Tuo, so he could not rashly take over the remaining totems in Chu Yanchuan’s hands—he didn’t know what the backlash would be, when it would start, or what the impact would be. After eliminating Chi Tuo, the Demon Seal would no longer need to be suppressed by the totem, and there might be a solution by then.
But he didn’t want to wait any longer. He didn’t want Dijun to suffer any more pain. He guessed that the dragon spirit would have a stabilizing effect on Chu Yanchuan’s soul, so he wanted to do this—give the dragon spirit to Chu Yanchuan and the totem to himself.
Without waiting for Chu Yanchuan to speak again, Jing Feirong picked him up by the waist and carried him into the bedchamber.
Jing Feirong didn’t torment Chu Yanchuan today. He kept the same posture from beginning to end and didn’t even want to leave teeth marks on Dijun. But it was strange. Jing Feirong didn’t know why. He stared at Chu Yanchuan’s face but couldn’t help wanting to cry—why was he still so uneasy even though he was hugging him so tightly and he was so close to him?
He always feels like my hands are empty, and he really wants to grab something more.
Instead, Chu Yanchuan touched the wound on Jing Feirong’s back, gently wrapped his legs around his waist, and panted, “Your Highness, just have to enjoy yourself.”
“I am happy when I am with Dijun.” Jing Feirong choked.
His tears fell on Chu Yanchuan’s shoulders. It’s scorching hot.
