ATAVID CH89

A heavy silence lingered between them, the night wind blowing across the landscape with a crisp, freezing dampness that caused Jiang Qunyu to shudder involuntarily.

“I am cold,” Jiang Qunyu muttered after a long pause.

Only then did Wei Xun slowly shift his weight, lifting his head from his shoulder. Keeping his eyes lowered, he focused his thoughts and summoned a soft current of dark energy. The gentle warmth coiled tightly around Jiang Qunyu, slowly drying his saturated dark hair and garments bit by bit. He then cast a casual Cleansing Spell with a flick of his wrist, sweeping away the traces of grime and water clinging to his frame with absolute, meticulous care.

The moment he noticed Wei Xun lifting his head to look back at him, Jiang Qunyu felt an intense wave of profound self-consciousness wash over him. Promptly snapping his hand up, he slapped his palm over the man’s eyes. “Forget it, forget it. Do not look at me just yet.”

Wei Xun’s thin lips pressed into a flat line. “Why?”

His long, thick eyelashes fluttered softly against Jiang Qunyu’s palm, the fine hairs sending a sharp prickle of ticklish heat down his fingertips and straight into the depths of his chest.

With his heart currently pounding in a chaotic, tangled rhythm, Jiang Qunyu blurted out in sheer self-deprecation, “This is my first time navigating a romantic relationship too! I carry absolutely zero inkling of how to converse with you right now!”

Wei Xun froze momentarily, thoroughly perplexed by the foreign terminology. “What does it mean to ‘navigate a romantic relationship’? And why does entering one prevent you from conversing with me?”

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

He stated with an absolute lack of expression, “Can you cease twisting my words? I explicitly stated that I am merely lost on how to converse with you, not that I refuse to speak to you entirely.”

Wei Xun currently appeared thoroughly listless, parting his lips to lazily utter two words: “I didn’t.”

“You had best not have.” With the tips of his ears still painted in a stubborn, unyielding flush, Jiang Qunyu avoided his gaze entirely. He fumbled blindly within his inner robes, retrieving a pale green silk ribbon before stepping behind Wei Xun to loop it around his head, securing it tightly over his eyes. Only when the man’s intense, direct gaze was completely obstructed did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

He offered an explanation: “In the realm where I originated, if an entity desires to spend eternity with another, they must first pursue them with genuine intent. It is only when the other accepts those feelings that they are considered to be ‘navigating a relationship.’ Furthermore, it is only after experiencing that phase—verifying that their affection is entirely mutual—that they can proceed with a marriage ceremony.”

“Oh,” Wei Xun replied smoothly. “Yet we have already completed our marriage ceremony.”

Jiang Qunyu let out a sharp chuckle at the sheer absurdity. Retrieving a vial of Blood-Stanching Pills from his robes, he tapped out a single sphere and pressed it against the man’s lips, tracking the movement of his throat as he swallowed it before snapping irritably, “You explicitly coerced me into that marriage! Furthermore, this counts as literal identity theft and bridal kidnapping! Why did you abandon the Yunque City to infiltrate the Nine Underworlds in the first place?!”

The moment the words left his mouth, the aura surrounding Wei Xun dropped significantly into a dark chill. He demanded in an ominous whisper, “Bridal kidnapping? Jiang Qunyu… aside from executing a marriage ceremony with me, who else did you harbor plans of marrying?!”

“You are deploying a foul mouth again,” Jiang Qunyu criticized him firmly.

Wei Xun instantly retracted his dark energy, a wave of palpable grievance rippling across his features. The silk ribbon Jiang Qunyu had tied over his eyes possessed absolutely zero restrictive power over an entity of his caliber; he was still capable of tracking Jiang Qunyu’s every movement with flawless precision utilizing his divine sense.

Stepping forward to close the distance, he wrapped his arms tightly around Jiang Qunyu’s waist, burying his face deeply into the crook of the young man’s neck as he murmured in a muffled whisper, “The fault lies entirely with me. Do not abandon me.”

Countless memories of their shared past had rushed back into his mind, leaving Jiang Qunyu overwhelmed by a profound wave of intense guilt toward the man. “…I am not abandoning you.”

Sensing the sudden softening of his posture, a razor-thin smile curled the corners of Wei Xun’s lips. His breathing fanned across the sensitive skin of Jiang Qunyu’s neck, delivering a warm, tingling heat as he asked quietly, “Then… am I permitted to kiss you right now?”

Jiang Qunyu: “?”

Are this guy and I even operating on the exact same wavelength right now?

“Absolutely not,” he shot back, his teeth practically gritting together.

“We are currently discussing matter of absolute gravity,” Jiang Qunyu noted, tracking how Wei Xun was deliberately attempting to derail the topic. He pressed once more: “Why did you enter the Nine Underworlds? Qin Shiyue revealed that you came to this realm seeking a specific item. What exactly are you hunting for?”

Since Jiang Qunyu had explicitly denied his request for a kiss, Wei Xun didn’t dare to overstep. Straightening his posture, he fluidly slid his warm fingers into the spaces between Jiang Qunyu’s, locking their fingers together in an unyielding, tight hold.

“Nothing of consequence,” Wei Xun replied, keeping his lowered gaze fixed on their intertwined hands. His tone remained perfectly flat, devoid of any discernible emotion as he calculatedly sidestepped the inquiry.

Seeing his reluctance to share the truth, Jiang Qunyu chose not to press the matter, pivoting instead to another burning question plaguing his mind: “How exactly did you recognize my true soul?”

The moment the question left his lips, Jiang Qunyu finally experienced a delayed processing of reality—had Wei Xun known all along that he wasn’t a mere inner demon? Otherwise, why had the man never expressed a shred of bewilderment whenever he blurted out terms and phrases that belonged entirely to another universe?

Wei Xun guided him with a slow, measured stride along the riverbank, his words confirming his exact deduction: “I have always known you were not a figment of my inner demon.”

“As for how I recognized your true soul,” Wei Xun offered a soft chuckle. “Within the secret realm of A Pillow of the Yellow Springs, I have traced the contours of your true face with my own fingers.”

He clarified further: “That particular realm was forged entirely from raw obsession. My singular, all-consuming obsession was to perceive your form once more; naturally, the array would manifest your authentic visage.”

The lingering sense of strangeness within Jiang Qunyu’s mind finally received its answer. So Wei Xun had recognized him simply because he had seen his true face within that realm? But wait… I was resting inside the bridal sedan chair earlier; there was no way he could have seen my face then.

Since Wei Xun clearly wished to keep that secret guarded, Jiang Qunyu decided to let it rest. It wasn’t a pressing issue; he could easily track down a few jars of high-grade liquor in a couple of days, get Wei Xun thoroughly intoxicated, and extract the truth then.

He fell into a brief silence before murmuring in a low voice, “Wei Xun… I still cannot recall a single detail regarding that particular secret realm.”

Even though a massive torrent of his past had rushed back into his mind, that singular period of his life remained tightly shrouded in a heavy blanket of fog. Yet, deep within his instincts, he could sense that the very foundation of their dynamic had undergone a violent shift during that exact phase.

Dropping his head slightly, he idly kicked a small pebble resting along the path. “Furthermore… I carry absolutely zero understanding of why I repeatedly forgot you.”

Wei Xun ground to a halt upon hearing those words. A sharp gust of wind swept across the riverbank, causing the green silk ribbon obscuring his vision to flutter slightly in the air.

“Back when we resided within the Eastern Mirror Lake City, I executed a transaction with Cui Mingjin,” he stated softly. “I delivered Yun Shuangjian to the River of Forgetfulness, and in exchange, he granted me a parasitic creature known as the Bitter Ferry Gu. That specific Gu possesses the power to redirect every ounce of physical agony racking your frame straight into my own meridians. However… I remained entirely oblivious to the fact that the creature sustained itself by consuming the host’s romantic affections.”

In truth, a faint inkling of this deduction had already surfaced within Jiang Qunyu’s mind. Otherwise, it would make zero sense why he had suddenly regained his capacity to experience physical pain upon his resurrection. Previously, he had constantly felt that his memories across the centuries were fragmented and discontinuous; hearing Wei Xun’s explanation, every single piece of the puzzle finally locked into place.

A spark of irritation filled his chest. “You kept me entirely in the dark regarding this matter as well!”

The corners of Wei Xun’s lips curved into a soft smile. “I have only recently uncovered the truth regarding its nature myself.”

Jiang Qunyu countered, “I am referring to the fact that you planted that parasite within my meridians without offering a single word of explanation.”

He mentally mapped out the timeline, calculating the exact period: “Meaning… back when we were still operating within the Mirror Lake City, you had already sown that Gu inside me.”

Seeing that his deductions were flawlessly accurate, Wei Xun abandoned all attempts at concealment. “Yes.”

Jiang Qunyu blinked slowly. Stepping closer to Wei Xun’s side, he kept his eyes fixed on the man’s slightly flushing earlobes, drawing out his words in a highly teasing, sing-song cadence: “Oh—Wei Xun. You already harbored deep affection for me all the way back then.”

Wei Xun chose to ignore him entirely.

Jiang Qunyu pressed his advantage relentlessly, getting completely out of line: “Wow! Wei Xun, your ears are burning a brilliant crimson! Even your neck has flushed red! Are you actually experiencing bashfulness right now?!”

Wei Xun: “…”

“I remember now,” Jiang Qunyu pressed on, growing increasingly animated with every word. “Back then, whenever I engaged in conversation with Wen Xingyao, you would always display an incredibly dark, displeased expression. It turns out you were simply throwing a massive fit of jealousy!”

He lifted his chin in absolute self-satisfaction. “I never anticipated that you would possess such an incredibly innocent streak, resorting to the textbook dramatics of a hidden crush.”

Wei Xun finally reached the absolute limit of his endurance. Snapping his hand up, he ruthlessly yanked the green silk ribbon from his eyes.

The triumphant smirk dancing across Jiang Qunyu’s lips instantly froze. His reflexes bypassed Wei Xun’s entirely; the exact fraction of a second the man’s eyes bared down on him, he snapped his hands up and slapped them over his own eyes.

Wei Xun let out a sharp chuckle, driven to amusement by his sheer antics. Leaning down, he pressed a cool, lingering kiss straight over Jiang Qunyu’s relentlessly chattering lips.

“Jiang Qunyu,” he muttered softly, pulling back a mere fraction of an inch as he kept his lowered gaze fixed on him. “Given that you possess zero courage to look me in the eye, does that not indicate that you are the one experiencing extreme bashfulness right now?”

Having his true thoughts unceremoniously ripped open, Jiang Qunyu’s defenses went up instantly like a bristling cat. “I am absolutely not!”

Wei Xun let out a soft scoff. “Then lower your hands.”

Jiang Qunyu dug his heels in, refusing to budge a single inch. “I simply refuse! You absolute bastard, you unprincipled scoundrel! Wei Xun, you are a total piece of work!”

When it came to Jiang Qunyu’s incredibly limited, repetitive lexicon of pathetic insults, Wei Xun had long since grown accustomed to letting them slide. Straightening his posture with a distinctly pleasant shift in his mood, the corners of his lips curved upward. “You had best conserve those insults. Delivered in that manner, it sounds remarkably like flirtation.”

Jiang Qunyu: “…”

A specific observation had crossed his mind days ago, but because he had been forced to play dumb at the time, he hadn’t voiced it. At this moment, he finally opened his mouth with a completely blank expression: “You have corrupted.”

Wei Xun offered an enigmatic retort: “When have I ever been a virtuous entity?”

Jiang Qunyu choked on his words.

Fine. Looking back across the entire duration of their acquaintance from the very beginning to the present day, Wei Xun had truly never belonged to the category of ‘good people.’

“But your speech patterns weren’t this shameless in the past.” Parting his fingers slightly, Jiang Qunyu peered at Wei Xun through the gaps to acclimatize himself to the light before finally lowering his hands entirely.

Dropping his eyelids, he launched into a highly theatrical, animated imitation of the declarations Wei Xun had uttered all those centuries ago: “I shall never share a bed with another entity, let alone allow anyone to draw close to my person.“

The moment he finished the impression, he couldn’t contain his own amusement, bursting into a light laugh. “Yet later on, you insisted on wrapping your arms tightly around me every single night just to sleep! Furthermore, you literally just kissed me moments ago—oh, and you kissed me last night as well, and the night before that!”

Wei Xun abruptly leaned down once more, his lips grazing Jiang Qunyu’s in a fleeting, soft touch. “And I have kissed you right now as well.”

A brilliant wave of crimson instantly flooded Jiang Qunyu’s ears, his very fingertips burning with a scorching heat as his gaze began to dart wildly across the clearing. “Oh!”

Fine, a kiss is just a kiss… It wasn’t as if they hadn’t crossed that boundary multiple times already anyway.

After a massive amount of procrastination along the path, they finally navigated their way back to the master sleeping quarters. Jiang Qunyu stood within the chamber with a completely blank expression, thinking to himself that a mere two hours ago, his mental state had been light-years away from this absolute madness!

Fuck! What exactly am I acting so intensely bashful for?! How pathetic!

Attempting to project an air of absolute, unbothered composure, he tossed out a clipped, “I shall bathe first,” before striding into the inner chamber without casting a single glance behind him.

Once he finished cleansing himself and emerged, he lingered within the room to complete a massive amount of mental preparation. Do not panic, do not panic, do not panic. It is merely sharing a bed with a man. At the end of the day, I am indisputably the one on top. When the time comes, I’ll simply coax Wei Xun into uttering a few rounds of ‘husband’ to stroke my ego. Framing it in that manner, the scenario is entirely acceptable.

Having thoroughly rationalized the situation, Jiang Qunyu took a slow step forward and settled onto the edge of the mattress. As he waited for Wei Xun to conclude his bath, he deliberately adopted an air of absolute detachment, looking as though he couldn’t care less.

Yet, the exact fraction of a second Wei Xun emerged from the inner chamber after concluding his bath, Jiang Qunyu instantly felt the ambient air within the master bedroom turn scorching hot, his breathing automatically shallowing as the entire mental fortress he had painstakingly erected moments ago threatened to implode on the spot.

Wei Xun murmured, “Come here.”

Jiang Qunyu pondered the situation for a moment, deducing that Wei Xun’s waist would likely experience a massive amount of soreness tonight. Although the man’s authoritative, commanding tone triggered a powerful urge to plant a foot straight into his chest, considering that the man was essentially his spouse now, he decided it was best to simply indulge his wishes for the evening.

Vaulting off the mattress, Jiang Qunyu walked over to the side of the daybed with absolute fluidity. “Do you harbor an aversion to utilizing the master bed?” He paused, a series of highly improper, scandalous thoughts flashing through his mind. “…What sort of unorthodox preferences do you possess?”

Hearing this, Wei Xun blanked for a fraction of a second. The naturally cold, severe lines of his features suddenly softened completely, and a low, resonant chuckle spilled from his lips. The mask of absolute frost that usually blanketed his face dissolved entirely as his eyes crinkled with amusement, stripping away every shred of his typical aloofness and rendering his entire aura exceptionally gentle. The gaze he locked onto Jiang Qunyu was thoroughly saturated with a deep, infinite tenderness.

Jiang Qunyu stared blankly at him, unable to suppress a silent exclamation within his mind: My spouse is truly breathtakingly beautiful!

“Sit down.”

“Oh!” Jiang Qunyu complied instantly, dropping onto the seat. With zero understanding of what Wei Xun intended to execute, his mind began to spiral into a chaotic whorl of wild assumptions.

In the next fraction of a second, Wei Xun raised his hand, gently gathering the loose strands of hair cascading over Jiang Qunyu’s shoulders. Holding a soft silk cloth between his fingers, he began to dry the tips of his hair with absolute, feather-light gentleness.

The candle flame flickered softly beside the bed curtains, casting a warm, amber glow that illuminated half of the master chamber.

Tracking the dazed, spacey expression of the young man beside him, Wei Xun let out a helpless, soft laugh. “Jiang Qunyu, what exactly is occupying your thoughts? I am merely drying your hair.”

“…” Jiang Qunyu kept his profile rigidly set, his voice projecting an air of perfect calm. “Nothing of consequence.”

There was absolutely zero chance he was going to lay bare the scandalous, chaotic assumptions that had just run rampant through his mind.

Yet his eyelashes refused to comply with his composure, fluttering softly against his skin and casting delicate shadows over his eyelids. The bridge of his nose rose in a sharp, elegant line, his skin appearing almost translucent beneath the warm glow of the candlelight. His frame was exceptionally slight; semi-encircled within Wei Xun’s embrace, it looked as though his entire being had been completely subsumed by the man’s distinct, crisp scent.

The moment the last strand of hair was thoroughly dried, Wei Xun slowly leaned forward, gently resting his forehead against the crook of Jiang Qunyu’s shoulder. His voice fell as softly as descending snow, yet it carried an unyielding, absolute gravity: “Just like this… this is entirely sufficient.”

The hoards he sought from the universe had never been vast.

He merely wished to hold his Jiang Qunyu safe and sound like this, wrapped tightly within his arms.

_

Author’s Note:

The current Wei Xun: “What I seek is not vast.”

The Wei Xun a few days from now: “Wife, let us go another round.”