At the foot of the tomb hill,
As the dark clouds dispersed, the crescent moon, veiled behind the clouds, finally reappeared. Occasionally, the sound of nightcrawlers echoed through the tree clusters.
“Finally caught you!” Zhou Yue seemed to release a breath of frustration. He transformed the dark figure into a mist and sealed it inside his gourd-shaped bagua bottle.
“Just as I expected, this Four Symbols Illusion is the last desperate struggle of that myriad-faced fox. Once the Four Symbols Illusion is broken, it will be powerless.”
Having said that, he turned and looked on both sides, then, upon seeing the figures of Yan Qing’an and He Heng, asked with concern:
“How are you both? Everything alright?”
“Mmm.”
He Heng’s voice sounded dull, and he seemed not particularly enthusiastic. He casually brushed off the dust from his sleeve, but his peripheral vision instinctively glanced towards Yan Qing’an.
Unexpectedly, it appeared that Yan Qing’an was also looking at him. In that momentary glance, their eyes unexpectedly collided.
At the sight of the man’s fuzzy big ears, a background tune automatically played in Yan Qing’an’s mind,
“My dear, our son is truly beautiful~”
“Our son”
“Son”
This direct association immediately made Yan Qing’an blush.
Although Yan Qing’an still couldn’t recall his past identities and couldn’t understand the nature of his relationship with He Heng, the emotions that caused embarrassment, heart palpitations, and were referred to as “liking” were fully retained in the illusion.
In a panic, he immediately turned his head away, afraid to look at He Heng again.
Yet, in his mind, the thought couldn’t be suppressed:
What if, hypothetically speaking, they were really together, could they have a son?
Realizing the absurdity of his thoughts, Yan Qing’an felt utterly lost.
He somewhat recklessly unsheathed his sword and quickened his pace, walking directly to the forefront of the crowd. Clearing his throat, he spoke in an emotionless tone:
“Now that the demon has been captured, it is not suitable to linger here. Let’s return as soon as possible.”
“Alright, Master Yan.” Zhou Yue nodded vigorously, quickly keeping pace with Yan Qing’an.
He was completely immersed in the joy of finally capturing the monster, oblivious to the complicated emotions between the two people beside him.
Meanwhile, He Heng dragged himself along, ears and tail drooping, looking rather dejected.
Thinking about the scenes he witnessed in the illusion, he couldn’t muster any enthusiasm.
If Yan Qing’an hadn’t encountered him as a disciple, by now he should have already broken through the tenth layer of the Nine Yang Sword Technique, becoming a respected figure among many. Instead, he was burdened with undeserved criticism, and all his efforts over the past twenty years seemed to have gone to waste.
In reality, the fox demon had told him a way to return the inner core to Yan Qing’an, but the key was whether he wanted to do it or not.
This originally belonged to the other party, and He Heng had no reason not to return it. Even without Yan Qing’an’s inner core, he wouldn’t be consumed by his own demonic aura. However, once completely enchanted, there would be no place for him in the cultivation world.
Moreover,
If Master truly cultivated the Heartless Dao, they couldn’t be together, right?
Thinking of this, He Heng’s ears drooped even further.
Recalling the scene where Yan Qing’an turned away upon seeing him earlier, He Heng felt that Yan Qing’an probably despised him.
If he really hid the method of not returning the inner core, Yan Qing’an might be deceived for a lifetime. With his soft personality, he wouldn’t harm him in any way.
But is this really okay?
The tenth layer of the Nine Yang Sword Technique is the goal the other party has been pursuing for more than twenty years. Even if they were to give up, it should be their own decision, and He Heng has no right to interfere.
Moreover, liking someone doesn’t necessarily mean they have to be together. Thinking about this, He Heng swayed his tail “pat, pat”. After all,
Life is short, and it passes by in the blink of an eye.
As long as he returns the inner core to Yan Qing’an, then settles the matter with the demonic sect, Yan Qing’an’s blackening value should automatically decrease, right?
On their way back,
He Heng and Yan Qing’an did not fly back to their sect using their swords but instead hitched a ride on a South Mountain Sect’s wooden ship along with a few others.
In the vast skies above, a wooden ship with wooden wings on both sides sailed gracefully between the serene layers of clouds, flying alongside birds.
This was a unique forging technique of the South Mountain Sect. They infused spiritual energy into crafted items. After the crafting was complete, the forger could directly manipulate the item using spiritual power. The South Mountain Sect’s mechanical woodworking was often referred to as “ingenious workmanship”.
Inside the cabin, Zhou Yue and the others were playing cards and communicating with friends through the spiritual realm. They were chatting and laughing, creating a lively atmosphere.
However, He Heng sat alone on the deck, bowing his head and caressing the hilt of his sword. The strands of hair on the sides of his cheeks rustled in the wind, and it was unclear what thoughts occupied his mind.
Throughout the journey, Yan Qing’an also noticed the other’s emotional downturn, mainly due to his extremely conspicuous tail and ears, nearly dragging on the ground.
As they passed the cabin, Zhou Yue warmly greeted him, “Master Yan, want to come and join us?”
“No, you go ahead and play.” Yan Qing’an shook his head at him, then headed towards the deck, holding a small dog made of colored paper in his hand.
For some reason, ever since he came out of the illusion, Yan Qing’an suddenly became adept at origami. Give him a piece of paper, and he could effortlessly fold it into several small animals.
Who knows where he learned it from?
On the other side,
He Heng was still there, silently “caressing” his long sword, feeling a sense of melancholy. He thought,
Is this the fate of a sword cultivator?
Indeed, swordsmen shouldn’t have love in their hearts.
Thinking this, he looked at his sword and muttered to himself:
“Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll treat you well. After all, it’s just the two of us depending on each other.”
At that moment, something was suddenly stuffed into his arms, and a shadow fell over his vision.
He Heng looked up and saw Yan Qing’an standing in front of him, looking somewhat surprised.
“Just the two of us?”
“Master,” He Heng awkwardly diverted the topic, raising the origami dog in his arms and examining it. “What is this?”
Yan Qing’an reached out and pinched the dog’s ears, lifting the drooping ears of the origami creation.
“Don’t you think it looks like you?”
“The ears are nearly stuck to the head.”
“Looks like.” He Heng, still immersed in the sorrow of a lifetime accompanied by the sword, replied with a weary tone, “But I’m a wolf, not a dog.”
At that moment, Yan Qing’an was taken aback.
Right, he’s a wolf.
How did he end up folding a dog?
His gaze slowly lowered, eventually stopping at He Heng’s grayish-white large ears.
In that moment, a profoundly philosophical question arose in his mind, its complexity rivaling that of modern mathematical conjectures.
Yan Qing’an’s fingertips grazed his chin as he pondered,
Although he really looks like a wolf, is he truly a wolf?
What if…
Just then,
A lightning-fast thought crossed his mind,
What if he’s actually a wolf-dog?!
Then, the mystery of them having a dog child would be effortlessly explained.
He Heng witnessed Yan Qing’an’s expression transitioning from the initial bewilderment to confusion, ultimately transforming into a realization of some sort.
Just as he hadn’t figured out what had happened, Yan Qing’an was already sitting beside him, grabbing the ears on top of his head and examining them.
Having someone pinch your ears felt ticklish, and Yan Qing’an’s fingers were slender and slightly cool, not unpleasant at all.
He Heng’s face resembled a resigned large dog, letting the other play around with his ears. However, privately, he gripped his sword even tighter, silently criticizing in his mind,
Master is truly annoying. We’re supposed to cultivate the Heartless Dao, yet he always messes around with others.
Now, he kept touching his ears, and after finishing, he didn’t take responsibility for it.
Indeed, men who cultivate the sword arts are never good!
“Hmm, strange,” Yan Qing’an was completely unaware of his little thoughts, focusing solely on solving the mystery in his mind. However, after a long time of contemplation, he still hadn’t come up with a definite answer.
The next moment,
It seemed like they suddenly encountered a turbulent air current, causing the spiritual ship to violently shake. The people inside the cabin were thrown in all directions, tumbling around.
“Ugh!”
Amidst the violent turbulence, Yan Qing’an, who hadn’t secured himself properly, stumbled and, in a moment of urgency, grabbed onto He Heng’s waist. Half of his body almost collapsed into He Heng’s embrace.
Separated by a layer, Yan Qing’an could feel the warmth emanating from He Heng’s body. Leaning against He Heng’s strong and firm chest, his fingertips moved nervously, unintentionally grazing over He Heng’s collarbone.
Tracing the sharp jawline upward, followed by the prominent nose bridge, then the semi-drooping thick lashes, Yan Qing’an suddenly met a pair of deep and profound eyes.
“Thump! Thump! Thump!”
He could almost hear the deafening sound of his own heartbeat.
In that brief moment of eye contact, Yan Qing’an’s gaze became somewhat uneasy. Soon after, his long lashes trembled twice, and his eyes evaded the gaze.
In that instant, his mind was filled with a single thought:
Hugging He Heng feels quite comfortable.
Wouldn’t it be nice if they could do this every day when they were together?
Realizing the absurdity of his thoughts, Yan Qing’an’s back stiffened. He was like a cat that had knocked something over and was now trying to sneak away, engaging in a complicated internal struggle.
What are you thinking?
Stop thinking about it!
However, the brain simply refused to obey.
The little black devil whispered devilishly in his ear,
“How can you be together again?”
“Is confessing enough?”
On the other side,
“Wake up, Yan Qing’an! He is your disciple!”
“But…”
“How do you confess?”
“Is it enough to just say, ‘I like you’?”
In the midst of Yan Qing’an’s inner turmoil,
He Heng remained motionless, held in Yan Qing’an’s arms. His face showed no expression, but in reality, every muscle in his body tensed up. The tightly clenched fingertips were about to crush the iron-cast sword sheath.
He lowered his head, looking at Yan Qing’an’s slightly blushing face and the white-like nape of his neck, trying to convince himself that Yan Qing’an wasn’t anything special.
What’s good about a man who cultivates the sword?
After touching and holding, there’s no responsibility. He definitely doesn’t like his master!
Except for his big eyes, fair skin, attractive lips, a voice that sounds good, a soft personality that always lets him be bullied, cries softly when bullied too much, likes to cling to him for kisses and hugs, can’t cook but always tries to make what he likes, used to wait for him to come home every night no matter how late it was, sometimes happily pounces into his arms when he sees him…
Isn’t there nothing good about him?
It’s not like being with his sword would be any different.
Thinking this, He Heng glanced at his own cold sword.
Damn!
This life is unbearable.
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