Jing Li was stunned by Gu Tingshen’s question, his mind subconsciously flickering over the other’s handsome face. He hurriedly shook his head to dispel such an inconceivable thought and calmly replied, “I don’t know, I haven’t thought about that.”
Although he said this, he didn’t dare to look at the other, his heartbeat accelerating abnormally, as if anxiously trying to conceal some emotion.
Gu Tingshen fixed his eyes on Jing Li, then smiled and responded, “That’s true, it’s a major life decision, one that requires careful consideration.”
After a pause, he then jokingly asked, “Speaking of which, I haven’t heard that our Xiao Jing is close to anyone, I wonder what type of person you would like?”
As he spoke, he looked directly at the person in front of him, not missing any of his expressions.
“Shen-ge, why are you suddenly acting like an elder and trying to rush me into marriage?” Feeling flustered under his direct gaze, Jing Li felt his heart beat even faster, wanting to shift the topic away from himself. He instinctively said, “I’m still young, what’s the rush? Besides, you and my brother are several years older than me, but I don’t see either of you worrying about yourselves.”
As he spoke, he suddenly had an idea and casually asked, “Speaking of which, I haven’t heard of Shen-ge being close to anyone either, I wonder what type of person Shen-ge likes?”
Gu Tingshen raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise, probably not expecting the question to be turned back on him. However, the next moment, he shot a meaningful smile at the tall young man before him.
“Me? Well,” Gu Tingshen glanced at him, sounding deep and mellow as if recalling something, “I guess I would like someone who is good-looking, with a great personality, usually calm and composed, but occasionally showing a cute and playful side in front of close friends.”
“Sincere towards friends, yet uncompromising towards enemies…”
Gu Tingshen grew more enthusiastic as he spoke, his tone becoming increasingly gentle, as if analyzing himself, or intimately whispering to someone he liked.
The surrounding air seemed to gradually heat up.
As Jing Li listened, he inexplicably felt a shift in tone, feeling that every adjective Gu Tingshen uttered could precisely describe him, fitting surprisingly well.
Jing Li grew increasingly startled and his heart raced faster, sensing something slipping out of his control, leaving him unfamiliar yet anxious, yet tinged with a thread of anticipation.
“…Xiao Jing? Xiao Jing?” Gu Tingshen suddenly waved his hand in front of his eyes.
“Ah?” Jing Li snapped out of it, meeting his questioning gaze and feeling a little embarrassed, “Sorry, I was a bit lost in thought just now. What did you say, Shen-ge?”
“It’s okay.” Gu Tingshen smiled understandingly, then looked at him and asked, “I was asking if Xiao Jing thought the person I described would like a boring man like me?”
Jing Li: “……”
Jing Li’s face flushed, for a moment almost thinking that the other was directly confessing to him.
He opened his mouth but couldn’t respond, for the first time showing a flustered expression in his eyes.
“…I don’t know.” He forced out a reply, unable to bear the atmosphere. Catching sight of the scenery around the villa, he abruptly changed the subject, “This villa seems quite old, do you often come here for vacation?”
The topic shift was rather abrupt, but Gu Tingshen didn’t press further. He looked deeply at Jing Li and obliged, “You could say that.”
“I was born on this small island. Perhaps because of that, I’ve always felt a natural affinity for this place. Whenever I’m tired or irritated, I come here to stay for a few days, and it helps me calm down.”
“You were born on this island?” Jing Li, who had only asked casually, was now stunned. He looked around, noticing the pure spiritual energy permeating the villa, and a bold guess formed in his mind.
“Yes.” Gu Tingshen followed his gaze and smiled, “But it’s also thanks to the previous incident at the film studio that I discovered some other unique things upon my return.”
Jing Li turned to look at him.
“You must have noticed, the entire courtyard is almost filled with white mist, and the color changes the deeper you go.” Gu Tingshen turned to face him, then raised his brows, “More interestingly, I had a novel dream on the way here.”
He then recounted to Jing Li the dream he had on the plane, of a young Jing Li making a solemn vow to the heavens.
Hearing the entire dream, Jing Li was also startled.
It was indeed the vow he had made in his youth when he was still naïve and ignorant. He accidentally saw a senior brother do something similar and found it interesting enough to imitate.
But he clearly remembered purposely finding a secluded corner when making that vow to the heavens, so in theory, no one else should have heard it besides the heavens that responded to him.
Moreover, based on Gu Tingshen’s description, he was clearly very close at the time.
He couldn’t possibly tell Gu Tingshen that he was Tian Dao1天道 (tiān dào) – natural law / heavenly law, could he?
Jing Li stared at Gu Tingshen in bewilderment, his mind racing with absurd thoughts.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Gu Tingshen met his gaze and blinked, half-jokingly, half-probing, “Do you believe in the existence of past lives? Is it possible that we share a destined connection, and in the previous life I had lingering regrets, so I chased after you into this life to rekindle our bond?”
Jing Li was slightly taken aback, his previously calmed heartbeat showing signs of frantic palpitations again.
“How could that be!” He blurted out without thinking, then realizing his reaction was too intense, he calmed himself and forced a smile, “I didn’t mean anything else, I mean…”
However, after thinking for a while, Jing Li couldn’t come up with a decent reason, and his subconscious seemed reluctant to deny Gu Tingshen’s guess.
Gu Tingshen didn’t speak, only looking at him silently. After a moment, he suddenly chuckled to himself, “I rather look forward to that possibility.”
However, he did not continue that topic, instead saying, “Let’s go, since we’re here, I’ll give you a tour.”
With that, he took the lead and headed up the steps towards the villa.
Jing Li followed silently behind, his gaze sweeping over Gu Tingshen’s straight back, but his mind seemed dazed, unconsciously replaying the words he had just said.
What did Gu Tingshen mean?
He looked forward to that possibility—what possibility? The possibility of them sharing a bond across past lives? Or rekindling their connection?
Could it be that he harbored those kinds of feelings towards Jing Li? Did he want them to become Dao companions2道侣 (dào lǚ) – means a companion who practices and cultivates together, and can also refer to a couple who practice together. ?
Jing Li’s mind was in disarray, his heart a jumbled mess. He barely noticed where he was going or what Gu Tingshen was saying until his peripheral vision caught sight of something familiar.
Jing Li focused his gaze and was stunned once more.
“What’s wrong?” Gu Tingshen turned around when he realized Jing Li wasn’t following, and saw him staring blankly at something in his bedroom.
Following Jing Li’s line of sight, he noticed the exquisitely carved small seashell placed in the center of the bookshelf and smiled, “That’s also been my favorite since I was young. I’ve forgotten how I got it, but I’ve always felt it was important to me, so I’ve treasured it.”
“The first time I left the island, I insisted on taking it with me. But for some reason, its color started to fade once I left the island, so I could only bear to leave it here.”
“Thinking about it now, it’s probably related to the white mist here, like a kind of nourishment for it?”
…
Gu Tingshen said a lot, but Jing Li didn’t really hear any of it. All his attention was focused on that small, familiar seashell.
Of course, he knew very well why it would lose its luster when away from the spiritual energy.
It was actually a low-grade spirit-gathering artifact that could only be nourished in areas rich with spiritual energy. The denser the energy, the purer its color.
And the reason he could take physical form in the Spiritual Realm was largely due to the spiritual energy he had absorbed from that seashell over the years.
So that seashell was almost like a beloved cradle for his entire life. Even after taking physical form and joining the sect, when it no longer served much purpose, he still treasured it and kept it close.
Until one time during tribulation, he almost drowned and was rescued by a mysterious person, though he didn’t even catch a glimpse of their shadow.
In the cultivation world, whether cultivator or demonic being, no one wished to owe others karmic debts. Since he could not find his rescuer after searching extensively, he voluntarily left the seashell by the river, vowing that whoever brought it to him could make any request, and he would repay them wholeheartedly.
However, until he ascended after crossing his tribulation, no one ever appeared with the seashell.
He even thought at one point that the seashell had been lost.
But why did it appear in Gu Tingshen’s villa?
Could the mysterious person who once saved his life have been Gu Tingshen?
If so, why didn’t he come find Jing Li? Was it because he didn’t want to, or did some accident occur that led him to this other world, preventing his return?
And did Jing Li come here because of the unresolved karma between them?
Jing Li looked up in a daze as the man walked into the room, retrieved the seashell from a crystal box, and slowly approached him, his expression rather complex.
“So it was you,” he murmured softly. “So, what kind of lingering attachment do you have with me?”
I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Please consider supporting the author directly.
You can also follow me on Ko-fi to get the latest updates on my translation progress and new projects. I appreciate your love and feedback.
