LABMY CH148

The fresh breeze ruffled the red silk hanging by the window. The dragon-carved red candles, which had burned throughout the night, had melted down completely. Layers of red curtains draped from the bed’s edge, dulling the brightness of the morning sun and blocking any curious gazes from peeking inside.

Beneath the veiled canopy, on an intricately carved black pearwood bed, two people lay entwined in slumber.

One was taller, strikingly handsome, with sharply defined features—clean, chiseled, as if sculpted with the utmost precision by the hands of creation itself. In his embrace lay another, a young man with an astonishingly beautiful face, delicate and exquisite, his porcelain-white skin flawless.

Yet, despite his beauty, the young man’s brows were slightly furrowed. The corners of his eyes were tinged red, with faint traces of dried tears—evidence that he had cried before falling asleep. His lips were a deep, flushed crimson, carrying a hint of seductive allure.

He looked like someone who should have the world’s most beautiful treasures laid at his feet, his furrowed brows gently smoothed away. But at the same time, he evoked an irresistible urge—to bully him further, to watch his tear-filled eyes, to hear him plead, to see him lose himself in passion.

As the morning sun grew stronger, Jian Yuanbai was the first to awaken. His expression was one of lazy satisfaction. Under the covers, their bare skin was pressed together, the smooth, soft texture sending a reaction through his body before his mind had even caught up.

Shen Tingyue, still drowsy, felt a scorching heat press against him. Startled, he woke up completely, sitting up with a jolt—only for the soreness in his waist to make him suck in a sharp breath.

He was utterly mortified, overwhelmed by both shock and anger. If one were to be strict about it, he could barely be considered to have an immortal’s constitution. Yet, even with an immortal’s body, he could still feel the ache in his waist. That alone was enough to hint at what had transpired.

Jian Yuanbai reached out and rubbed his waist. “Why are you sitting up so suddenly after just waking up?”

Shen Tingyue glared at him in frustration. Shame kept him from admitting that he had been so startled by a mere touch that his first instinct was to sit up and flee.

His eyes were still red, his gaze shimmering like water. Even when he glared, there was no real intimidation in it—yet Jian Yuanbai felt momentarily stunned, his expression turning oddly bewildered.

He sat frozen, registering the faint, unfamiliar emotions stirring within him—shyness… embarrassment… a trace of delight… and a hint of exasperation.

Fixing his gaze on Shen Tingyue, he suppressed the turmoil in his heart and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss against those swollen, mistreated lips.

Shen Tingyue inhaled sharply, covering his mouth and shrinking away. His eyes were brimming with unshed tears, looking utterly pitiful. “It hurts.”

Now bound by a Heart-Link Pact, Shen Tingyue could vaguely sense Jian Yuanbai’s emotions. He had been somewhat resentful about how indulgent the man had been last night, but now, seeing Jian Yuanbai’s perceptiveness, he quickly switched to playing the obedient one.

Jian Yuanbai let out a soft, amused huff. “Did you add Heart-Link Tears to the wine last night?”

Shen Tingyue’s gaze flickered evasively. After a moment’s hesitation, he let out a hesitant “Mm.”

He had exhausted himself to the brink of death trying to keep their Heart-Link Pact hidden, yet by morning, the truth had nearly been laid bare.

Before Jian Yuanbai could say anything, he spoke first, seizing the upper hand. “You didn’t want to form a Heart-Link Pact with me, did you?”

“I didn’t refuse the Heart-Link Pact because of you,” Jian Yuanbai replied. “I refused because I was born from the essence of heaven and earth, and my lifespan is predetermined.”

He kissed Shen Tingyue’s fingertips, moving his hand away from his lips. Grasping the young man’s slender wrist, he gently rubbed the small, raised bone at the joint, sighing softly. “But I want my wife to live long and free of worries.”

Shen Tingyue burrowed into his embrace, rubbing against him affectionately. “People come and go. If the ones closest to me all pass away while I remain… That isn’t immortality. It’s just a slow, lonely death.”

“I don’t want that.”

Through six lifetimes, they had walked together, their souls irrevocably entwined.

From Shen Tingyue’s words, Jian Yuanbai realized that the young man had already learned about his predetermined lifespan. He didn’t know how Shen Tingyue had found out, but he didn’t intend to press the matter.

The Heart-Link Pact was already sealed—there was no changing it now. Even if there were a way to undo it, Jian Yuanbai couldn’t bring himself to.

He hadn’t initially planned to forsake the Heart-Link Pact in favor of a Daoist Companion Pact. But everyone harbored selfish desires, and Jian Yuanbai was no exception.

Though he had never spoken of it, his possessiveness toward Shen Tingyue ran deep.

The mere thought of Shen Tingyue falling in love with someone else after he was gone—such a possibility was unbearable to him.

Love, by its nature, was possessive and exclusive.

So Jian Yuanbai chose not to continue the topic. Instead, he wrapped his arms around the warm, soft Shen Tingyue and lowered his head, murmuring softly, “Wife…”

His breath, hot and heavy, brushed against the back of Shen Tingyue’s pale neck. Shen Tingyue shivered, instinctively shrinking away.

In the next moment, a large hand slid from behind, grasping his neck—fingers pressing lightly against his jawbone.

Like a crane caught in a hunter’s snare, he was forced to tilt his head back, exposing the pristine skin of his nape.

A wet, heated tongue traced over it, followed by lips and teeth, biting down and leaving behind scattered marks of crimson.

Shen Tingyue couldn’t suppress it—an involuntary, breathy moan slipped past his lips.

The reaction was obvious. The hand wrapped around his waist suddenly tightened, with such force that it felt like he was being crushed into the other’s body. The breath behind him grew heavier, and Jian Yuanbai sucked on his earlobe hard.

Shen Tingyue hadn’t even had time to escape before he was seized urgently.

Jian Yuanbai’s lips pressed down in a series of delicate, lingering kisses on Shen Tingyue’s face, sucking away the tears that had fallen from those beautiful eyes. “Your body really can withstand more than I thought.”

“Wife.”

Shen Tingyue’s face burned bright red. He turned his head away and squeezed out a barely audible voice through his teeth. “Shut… shut up…”

The physique of an immortal… wasn’t meant for this!

…

The days in the Twelve Palaces of Sealing Spirits and Stepping Clouds were unbearably dull. However, for the sake of the system’s recovery, Shen Tingyue and Jian Yuanbai stayed put in Jian Yuanbai’s palace, not stepping foot outside.

Fortunately, the system recovered faster than Shen Tingyue had expected. The only issue was that the window for communication lasted only a brief moment.

The system was merely a fragmented soul. If it wanted full sentience, it would never be able to have a physical form. If it wished to escape imprisonment, it would have to start over from an ignorant state and slowly grow.

Luckily, with its previous foundation, its starting point was slightly higher.

Shen Tingyue’s face darkened as he looked at the tiny, golden-winged kitten squatting on the ground. He stared at the cat, and the cat tilted its head in confusion, staring back at him.

Just as Shen Tingyue was about to settle the accounts with the system, realizing things were going south, the system immediately transformed, reverting to its original form.

It looked exactly like it had when Jian Yuanbai first encountered it—a golden cat with wings. The only difference was that, at this moment, it could no longer communicate with Jian Yuanbai.

In its newborn state, as ignorant as a child, it would now cultivate as a beast, slowly awakening its intelligence, stepping onto the immortal path, and eventually becoming a demon cultivator.

Only after completing its cultivation could it recall past memories.

The kitten, still in a daze, instinctively clung to Shen Tingyue. It nuzzled against his leg affectionately, while Shen Tingyue stared at it expressionlessly for a moment—then reached out and stroked it.

Jian Yuanbai picked it up, pinched its little paws, and wobbled them left and right. “I suddenly feel like it’s kind of like your son… Our son.”

“How about we give it a name? Calling it ‘System’ all the time doesn’t sound great.”

Shen Tingyue glanced at him. “If it’s my son, then what should it call you?”

“After all, you are my grandfather, father, brother-in-law, foster father, master, uncle—” Shen Tingyue sneered, emphasizing each word. “You are my most—dear—kin—friend!”

Jian Yuanbai watched as Shen Tingyue stormed off in anger. He rubbed his nose and then roughly ruffled the clueless little system cat. “This is your fault.”

That book had been made from genuine system fragments, a special material. When the system’s soul fragment detached, the book automatically started playing recorded images stored within it.

In other words, Shen Tingyue had to watch, with a darkened face, as his most humiliating moments were played before his very eyes. What was worse, even though the system’s soul had left the book, the book itself remained indestructible—a permanent record of his disgrace.

The system had become an ignorant kitten, and somehow, Jian Yuanbai ended up suffering the consequences.

Jian Yuanbai thought back to all the titles Shen Tingyue had just rattled off and stood there chuckling to himself. Well… he supposed he wasn’t exactly innocent either.

Time passed slowly, and Shen Tingyue gradually adapted to the leisurely life. He leaned against a pavilion, cradling the winged kitten in his arms, eyes closed in a peaceful slumber.

Jian Yuanbai, who had come looking for him, saw the scene from a distance and felt his stomach churn with jealousy.

That foolish cat—no, now named Huang Baobao—was hogging his wife every day. What infuriated Jian Yuanbai even more was how indulgent Shen Tingyue was toward it. At night, the cat jumped into bed, and instead of holding his husband, Shen Tingyue held the cat!

Standing in the distance, Jian Yuanbai let out a sneering chuckle. A cat, huh? Well, who couldn’t be a baby cat?

The tall and handsome man vanished on the spot, replaced by a golden kitten. Unlike the orange hue of a tabby, his fur was a pure, blazing gold like the sun. Even his eyes were a brilliant gold, even more striking than the kitten curled up in Shen Tingyue’s arms. His physique was superior, though he lacked the little wings on his back.

The golden kitten took a few light steps, then effortlessly leaped onto Shen Tingyue’s lap as he rested in the pavilion.

Kneeling wasn’t enough. The little kitten nonchalantly kicked out to the side, sending Huang Baobao, who had been lying on Shen Tingyue’s lap, rolling to the ground with a series of gulugulu sounds, landing in a daze.

Huang Baobao, after all, was still a newborn spirit beast. Jian Yuanbai wasn’t worried about hurting it with a single toss. Feeling completely justified, he tiptoed closer to his wife’s face, licking here, nudging there.

The commotion woke Shen Tingyue. As he opened his eyes, he was met with the sight of a dazzlingly golden and beautiful cat. His slightly furrowed brows, disturbed by the movement, instantly relaxed, and a look of delight flashed in his eyes. “Yuanbao?!”

He scooped it up in one swift motion, examining it left and right, his excitement overflowing. “It’s really you, Yuanbao?”

If he had a system perspective in the small world, he would have known it was Jian Yuanbai. But at the time, only the system had witnessed that scene.

Jian Yuanbai was stunned. He turned to glance at Huang Baobao, who had been thrown into a dizzy state on the ground, then looked at Shen Tingyue, whose eyes were curved with joy, unable to suppress his laughter.

Huang Baobao. Yuanbao. Baobao. Yuanbao. And that moment when Shen Tingyue had named it:

“Let’s call it Yuan— Never mind. I won’t give it the same name. That wouldn’t be good. Let’s just call it Huang Baobao.”

A surge of grief and indignation suddenly welled up in Jian Yuanbai’s heart.

Competing with his own son for attention was one thing. But after all this, neither of them—neither he nor his son—was the original!

Previously, he had been called a dumb cat over and over, but now, on the same side of the battlefield, he looked at Huang Baobao with something akin to sympathy—shared resentment for their common fate.

Shen Tingyue rubbed the little kitten in his arms and said with amused exasperation, “What kind of look is that?”

Clearly, though, he was in an excellent mood. He lifted the kitten up and buried his face into its soft fur, rubbing and snuggling it. He petted the kitten, kissed its head, kissed its ears, and coaxed it in a gentle voice.

“Yuanbao, where have you been all this time?”

“Did you miss me?”

Jian Yuanbai, looking at Shen Tingyue, felt utterly betrayed. He was not Yuanbao!

What was even more infuriating was that he couldn’t withstand such passionate affection from his wife at all. His heart protested, but his body obediently let Shen Tingyue kiss and cuddle him.

Later that night, when it was time to sleep, Shen Tingyue looked troubled as he watched the domineering Yuanbao refuse to let Huang Baobao get on the bed, even insisting that it be sent to another room.

After several failed attempts at coaxing, Shen Tingyue finally placed Huang Baobao in a separate room.

Now that the real Yuanbao was back, Huang Baobao had tragically lost favor.

Jian Yuanbai no longer felt jealous of Huang Baobao. Instead, he was jealous of Yuanbao. With Yuanbao around, Huang Baobao was sent away, and now his husband had completely forgotten about him.

Consumed by irrational jealousy, the man entirely forgot that he had once said the Twelve Halls were selecting a new master and that he would be away for two or three days.

Shen Tingyue held the golden Yuanbao in his arms as he slept. In the middle of the night, he was disturbed by an onslaught of wind and rain. A familiar presence engulfed him, making him tremble like a banana leaf battered by a storm.

“Yuan… Yuanbao is still here,” he whimpered, voice tinged with tears as he pressed against Jian Yuanbai’s shoulder. “Don’t let it see.”

Jian Yuanbai let out a low chuckle and only bullied him harder.

When the rain ceased and the clouds scattered, the satisfied man embraced the exhausted youth, his chin resting on the crown of Shen Tingyue’s head. He rubbed against him affectionately before closing his eyes and drifting into sleep.

In his dreams, he remembered what had happened before he had gained sentience and taken on human form.

He was a spiritual energy mass born from heaven and earth—formless, colorless, shifting through various shapes. His true awakening occurred when he took human form.

But before that, he had been as simple-minded as a beast.

He had taken the form of a snake, a dragon, a bird, and also a cat. As a cat, he loved napping, pouncing on fluttering butterflies, and most of all, he loved following a certain person around.

That person had loved to hold him, calling him “Yuanbao” over and over again.

He had said the cat was golden and beautiful, just like a gleaming gold ingot, which made him likable. That was why he was named Yuanbao.

Jian Yuanbai awoke from his dream and froze for a moment. He remembered now.

His memories before gaining human form had been hazy, and he no longer recalled why he had left Shen Tingyue’s side. His transformations had been influenced by his nature, and perhaps he had simply changed over time.

Turning his head, he glanced at Shen Tingyue, who was nestled against his shoulder, sleeping soundly. A soft smile played on Jian Yuanbai’s lips as he pulled his lover closer into his embrace, wrapping him tightly in his arms before drifting back into sleep.

When he woke up, he planned to tell Shen Tingyue something.

He wanted to tell him that, out of all the countless mission worlds, he had come to his side because, at a single glance, he had recognized the system that bore a seven or eight-part resemblance to his past self.

They had taken a long and winding path, but in the end, they had found each other again.

Bound by a contract as lovers, their hearts united, their souls entwined.

With heaven and earth as witness, the sun and moon as proof, their love would never waver.