Shen Tanqi stood in the middle of the illusion stone array, feeling a bit uneasy. He had a nagging suspicion that Yu Ce had something up his sleeve.
But now that he was here, it would be too embarrassing to back out. A few disciples nearby had gathered to watch, casting curious glances at Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce.
“Isn’t that Yu Ce who just got back from his travels?”
“Yeah, why’s he with Shen Tanqi?”
“I bet the young master Shen has come up with another way to try and kill him.”
“Never works, though. Shen Tanqi must be really dense, wasting all that family wealth.”
“Come on, let’s watch from the side.”
The disciples stood at a distance, whispering quietly. Their gossip didn’t reach Shen Tanqi’s ears, but Yu Ce, with his higher cultivation level, heard every word clearly.
Without making it obvious, Yu Ce positioned himself in front of Shen Tanqi, shielding him from their malicious stares. He whispered, “Senior brother, you need to stay calm in the illusion. Don’t let your emotions get too intense.”
Shen Tanqi didn’t look up, too busy checking the stone array on the ground. He replied offhandedly, “Got it.”
Noticing the disciples approaching, Yu Ce’s eyes darkened. He suddenly bent down to brush off some dust from Shen Tanqi’s robe.
Shen Tanqi was momentarily stunned but didn’t think much of it. After all, Yu Ce often did these intimate things, and he was used to it. He let Yu Ce brush the dust off him without a second thought.
Not far away, a few junior disciples exchanged bewildered glances, frozen in place.
What they saw was Shen Tanqi standing proudly in the illusion stone array, commanding Yu Ce to brush off the dust from his robe. Yu Ce, without any complaint, obediently and wholeheartedly complied.
Oh no, has Shen Tanqi really gotten him under his thumb?
In the past, Yu Ce wouldn’t even spare Shen Tanqi a glance. They had fiercely argued before, once even debating who Yu Ce would save first if Shen Tanqi and a demon fell into water.
The unanimous conclusion was: save Shen Tanqi first.
Because the demon could swim, only Shen Tanqi needed saving.
Everyone in the sect knew Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce. One was so shallow he couldn’t tolerate anyone else, and the other was so proud he respected no one but the sect leader.
These two never got along for a moment.
“Unbelievable… Yu Ce is tidying Shen Tanqi’s clothes.”
“And he’s standing guard for Shen Tanqi too.”
“Is Yu Ce out of his mind…?”
“Yeah, he’s just like my uncle from the foot of the mountain, who’s scared of his wife.”
As he finished speaking, the other three couldn’t help but look at the junior disciple who had spoken.
The junior disciple coughed awkwardly, realizing his words were too ridiculous, and mumbled, “I was just talking nonsense, just nonsense.”
The other three rolled their eyes and scoffed, finally looking away.
What nonsense! If Shen Tanqi and Yu Ce had that kind of relationship, the entire Rongyun Sect would have been turned upside down by now.
No way, absolutely impossible.
Not far away, Yu Ce watched Shen Tanqi disappear into the illusion stone array, deep in thought. “Where did they get that idea…”
Was he really afraid of Shen Tanqi?
No, surely not.
He should be more careful next time.
The thick mist dissipated, and Shen Tanqi stood in the illusion, slowly opening his eyes.
The first thing he noticed was that his arm seemed shorter. He had shrunk.
He was momentarily stunned, then suddenly seemed to realize something. Shen Tanqi’s eyes widened slightly. In front of him was a narrow alley, filled with the smells of smoke, alcohol, and the occasional perfume of heavily made-up women passing by.
A morning sun hung in the sky, its bright rays doing nothing to chase away the chill that ran through Shen Tanqi.
This was his home, the one he had when he was ten years old.
When he was ten, a flowerpot accidentally fell on his head, causing a concussion that erased all his memories from before that age. His family couldn’t afford medical treatment, so they told him to endure it. In the sweltering summer, he felt like he almost died in that tiny, less-than-thirty-square-meter room.
His brother and sister clung to his hand at the bedside, crying and begging him not to die.
Later, by some stroke of luck, he managed to survive with the help of his brother, who earned just enough money for some basic medication through hard work.
At ten years old, just as he was starting to recover, his family couldn’t afford his sister’s school fees. Their parents kept her at home, telling her she would have to stay home and support the family instead of going to school. In a fit of anger, his brother ran away, vowing to earn the money himself and come back.
A couple of months later, his brother returned with the school fees. It was compensation for a work injury—he had lost an arm.
That same year, his parents fought and decided to divorce, accusing each other of only caring about playing mahjong and drinking heavily. On their way to file for divorce, they got into a car accident and both died.
From that day on, his brother never went back to school.
Shen Tanqi graduated and moved to the city with his brother. They rented a place, worked hard, and supported their sister’s education.
He didn’t want to see any of it again, didn’t want to relive it.
Shen Tanqi hugged himself, slowly crouching in the middle of the alley. A beer bottle flew from a second-floor window, shattering right in front of him.
Shards scattered everywhere.
“Shen Er, come home and cook!”
He shivered, instinctively wanting to run away. He never wanted to see any of those faces again.
To him, this place wasn’t a home; it was more like a personal hell, a hell meant only for him.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Tanqi tried to calm himself. The more terrified he felt, the more he forced himself to stay composed.
This is just an illusion, it’s all fake.
As long as he could overcome the illusion, he could get out.
Don’t be afraid, the past is already over. Shen Tanqi, don’t be scared.
You have a home now, with Goldfish and Taro Ball, and… Yu Ce.
He clenched his fingers, following the path from his memories, walking step by step up the old, dirty staircase cluttered with all sorts of garbage. Rust, the smell of alcohol, and traces of vomit from someone who had too much the night before were everywhere.
The second floor housed three families. Besides theirs, there was an elderly grandmother and a young couple temporarily living there.
The young couple loved watching TV. Shen Tanqi was a good-looking child, and they liked him, often letting him watch for a while.
But they often fought over who got to hold the remote, which introduced Shen Tanqi to melodramatic TV dramas and various Marvel movies.
Shen Tanqi held onto the wall and paused in front of their door.
Today, they were watching Batman.
He clicked his tongue. He liked Spider-Man more.
Watching Batman reminded him too much of himself.
Shen Tanqi had barely peeked at the TV for a few seconds when a large hand yanked his ear, pulling him forward.
“Shen Er, didn’t you hear me calling you earlier? Playing deaf, are you?”
He answered softly, “No, I really didn’t hear.”
His dad, a man who loved drinking Erguotou1Red Star Erguotou is a popular low-end baijiu known for its distinct taste, originating from Beijing and primarily produced in the surrounding region..
Sometimes Shen Tanqi thought his becoming gay had a lot to do with his dad.
He never felt a shred of fatherly love from this man, only disgust.
Just by looking at his dad’s frown, Shen Tanqi could tell what kind of mood he was in and whether he had been bullied by the foreman at the construction site. This skill of reading people had become second nature to him.
His dad was frowning.
The next moment, his collar was grabbed. Sure enough, his dad had some anger to vent on him.
“Damn it, running wild without sweeping the floor in the morning. If I don’t beat you every few days, you’ll be climbing the roof and tearing it down next.”
Shen Tanqi listened in silence, finding it amusing.
He thought, the illusion really knows how to amplify his fears.
The more he feared something, the more it happened.
Next, his dad would probably slap him a few times, then grab the broom nearby and smack his legs, telling him to go sweep the floor.
After venting his anger, his dad would flop onto the shabby sofa and light a cigarette with satisfaction.
The steps were so clear that Shen Tanqi could predict exactly what would happen in the illusion.
That’s it? Shen Tanqi scoffed.
He had been through this before. Twenty-year-old him was not the same as ten-year-old him.
So, a few slaps? Bring it on. Even if it killed him, he wasn’t afraid. Let the storm come harder!
As he watched that hand rise just as he expected, Shen Tanqi instinctively closed his eyes.
‘Coward,’ he cursed himself inwardly. ‘Still the same at twenty as at ten.’
After a long moment, Shen Tanqi still didn’t feel the sting of a slap. Surprised, he opened his eyes and saw a dark figure standing in front of him, firmly gripping his dad’s wrist.
Like an unyielding fortress, the figure shielded him from the impending storm.
His heart fluttered, as if lightly bumped by something. Shen Tanqi rubbed his eyes, hardly daring to believe who he was seeing.
“Is it you, Batman?”
At ten years old, in every summer night’s dream, he had fervently wished for this moment. From the neighbor’s old TV, he imagined Batman could hear his cries for help, break through the screen, and save him just in time as his dad was about to hit him.
Then, Batman would carry him out of the alley, out of the city, into the skies, and beyond the Milky Way. He wanted to go somewhere far away, never to return.
Seeing his dream come true, Shen Tanqi was so excited he didn’t know what to say. Although he didn’t know how Batman could appear in his illusion, he only wanted to hold onto the person in front of him and continue the dream he never finished.
“It really is you, Batman!”
The cape, the abs, the incredibly cool mask—who else could it be but Batman?
The figure remained silent, not even turning to look at him, leaving Shen Tanqi with a mysterious silhouette. To Shen Tanqi’s dad, he said softly, “Don’t hit him again.”
Shen’s father sobered up instantly. Seeing the person in black tight clothes, he mistook him for some local debt collector and immediately agreed, “Yes, yes, I was just teaching him a lesson. I won’t hit him. I’m going to bed.”
With that, he tossed Shen Tanqi aside, slammed the door shut, and locked it from the inside.
What a true scumbag.
Shen Tanqi spat on his dad, unfazed, then turned to look at the revered Batman and asked, “Where did you come from?”
The ten-year-old Shen Tanqi was small and skinny, malnourished, with messy hair and an oversized shirt that had turned yellow with wear.
Yet his face remained delicate and pretty, with bright, fair skin. His light-colored pupils, illuminated by the sunlight, looked like embedded jewels.
Under the hopeful gaze of the little Shen Tanqi, the figure hesitated for a moment before responding with an unrelated question, “Do you live here?”
Shen Tanqi scratched his face, knowing this place would never meet the standards of the wealthy Batman. He casually replied, “Yeah, it’s a bit poor. Maybe you could… give me a handout?”
The kid blinked his eyelashes, and the figure seemed to be struck in the heart, patting himself down for a moment before sheepishly answering, “I forgot to bring any.”
Shen Tanqi was just joking; he didn’t really expect Batman to give him money. He walked down the stairs, saying, “Since that’s the case, play with me for a while before you go.”
Heroes always leave eventually, and Shen Tanqi would wake up from the illusion sooner or later. But for now, he couldn’t get out, so he might as well enjoy it.
After saying that, he happily hopped down the stairs.
This left Batman standing in place, thoroughly embarrassed, using his cape to cover himself.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
