TBR CH26

Gu Shishu was momentarily dazed until he noticed the celestial immortal casting him a slightly probing glance. The cool undertone in his eyes remained—it was Fu Tingxue’s nature.

This pulled him out of his wandering thoughts and back to the present.

At that moment, the Demon Lord politely smiled at Wusui, intending to leave with Fu Tingxue and return to the Demon Palace.

Wusui looked as if he couldn’t wait for them to leave.

He had to take things slowly. Gu Shishu thought to himself. The person before him was someone he was willing to treat with the utmost sincerity and effort—he didn’t want to be too hasty.

Emotions were like tangled threads. Even if the one following the thread had finally neared the treasure, they still needed to make one final, gentle pull to reveal the truth.

Just a little more.

Yet, this closeness made him uneasy. The nearer he got to the truth, the more his heart wavered.

Fu Tingxue had once liked him, allowing him to do anything.

And now, Fu Tingxue still liked him…

He didn’t know why the Forgetfulness Water hadn’t worked on Fu Tingxue. But the mere thought that the Immortal Sovereign might have deliberately not drunk it, instead watching him pretend to forget, made his heart ache uncontrollably.

The Demon Lord’s fingers twitched. He had never truly forgotten. Every bit of lingering affection was ready to ignite at the slightest touch. The person before him had always been the moon in his heart.

He wanted to give him the best of everything.

Of course, he wanted to kiss him now—but he was willing to be gentler, more patient. He wanted Fu Tingxue to take a step toward him, to no longer belittle himself, to no longer be filled with sorrow, to no longer be plagued by uncertainty.

The journey from the Yao Realm to the Demon Palace spanned across two realms—it wasn’t close.

But for a Demon Lord and a Immortal Sovereign, it wasn’t particularly far either, especially when the restrictions in Gu Shishu’s palace had no effect on him.

When they arrived, he and Fu Tingxue had flown separately by sword since the Yao Clan had no teleportation arrays in the Yao Realm.

Now that they were leaving, Gu Shishu found it troublesome to travel back step by step, so he decided to use the teleportation array in the Yao Palace instead.

The celestial immortal glanced at him and quickly understood his intention.

Fu Tingxue hesitated for a moment, his slender fingers gripping his Frostblade, prepared to part ways and move independently.

“No need for such trouble,” Gu Shishu said in a low voice, his words carrying a deeper meaning. Then, he extended his hand toward Fu Tingxue.

“…I wonder if the Immortal Sovereign is willing?”

The teleportation array in the Yao Palace recognized his aura. If he were physically connected to someone, sharing his aura, that person would also be included in the teleportation rights.

The simplest method was to hold hands.

Fu Tingxue retracted his Frostblade but didn’t immediately place his hand in Gu Shishu’s. He raised his eyes in disbelief, reluctant to reveal his lack of confidence, unwilling to appear too surprised.

Then, he saw Gu Shishu looking at him with complete focus, his slender fingers reaching out. The black of his pupils was like smoldering embers—so hot that a single glance felt enough to burn.

Like a moth to a flame.

And just as he had hoped, that flame blazed bright and fierce, burning only for him.

The celestial immortal’s hands were frost-white and slightly cool.

As their hands intertwined once more, he could barely suppress the slight tremble, feeling flustered at how strongly his emotions surged.

No, he couldn’t let his emotions get the better of him.

The Demon Lord formed a seal, and deep black demonic energy surged forth endlessly. With their fingers entwined, they vanished before the Yao King Wusui’s eyes.

Finally, they were gone.

Wusui exhaled in relief. He couldn’t help but grumble—he had been right about their relationship all along. These two didn’t even bother hiding it, going so far as to hold hands right in front of him!

Sure, the Demon Lord claimed it was for teleportation… but who would believe that?

He recalled his past, when he had wandered various places to lay low, once strolling through the bustling streets of the Immortal Realm.

At the time, in a bookstore, an old man with a white beard had been fuming with anger, scolding the shopkeeper for selling such scandalous and insulting storybooks about celestial immortals.

Curious, Wusui had taken a glance.

The stories were about rebellious disciples defying their masters, resorting to all sorts of means—imprisonment, humiliation, and worse—to win the celestial immortal’s favor. Such plots weren’t uncommon, but the protagonist’s name was none other than the Immortal Realm’s number one figure.

Back then, Wusui had scoffed, dismissing it as nonsense.

Even if people bought that book, they would never believe that the exalted Immortal Sovereign actually had anything to do with the Demon Lord. It was obviously just fabricated to sell copies.

But today…

Watching the scene before him made him second-guess everything.

That storybook seemed to have come true.

Though there was no tortured love and tragic suffering—just two people who were deeply in love.

The only one suffering was him.

Wusui took a deep breath, deciding not to dwell on it. Instead, he ordered his subordinates to bring the ledger.

He needed to brace himself and see just how much he had been swindled.

In just the blink of an eye, Fu Tingxue opened his eyes again and realized he had already arrived in the Demon Realm.

The teleportation array in the back mountain of the Demon Realm had been arranged by Gu Shishu. This place made him recall the time when he had received Gu Shishu’s voice transmission and had stormed into the Demon Palace.

But he hadn’t killed anyone—he didn’t want to cause the Demon Lord any trouble.

If only…

Fu Tingxue became aware that his hand was still clasped with Gu Shishu’s.

Perhaps “holding hands” wasn’t quite right—somehow, instead of a simple grasp, his fingers had become entwined with Gu Shishu’s in the most intimate way possible.

The Demon Lord didn’t seem inclined to let go even after arriving. Fu Tingxue pressed his lips together and decided not to mention it.

Fingers laced together—it had never been about one person’s will alone. It was a mutual decision.

Before proceeding further into the palace, Gu Shishu asked him to wait. Then, he adjusted several strokes in the complex formation of the back mountain’s array.

Fu Tingxue felt a bit dazed, then suddenly sensed that within the formation, all the previous rejection had transformed into acceptance. The formation, filled with spiritual energy, trembled slightly around him, as if welcoming his arrival.

Gu Shishu completed the final stroke and was fairly satisfied.

“From now on, it will also recognize the Immortal Lord as its master,”

The Demon Lord turned his head slightly, looking at Fu Tingxue. “As long as you activate the incantation, you can come here directly.”

This was the core of the Demon Realm, the inner sanctum of the Demon Palace, Gu Shishu’s own domain. Yet he casually opened a backdoor for Fu Tingxue, as if he wasn’t the least bit concerned about any potential danger he might pose.

“I…”

Fu Tingxue instinctively uttered the first word, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He should say thank you, but gratitude felt too distant. And deep down, he sensed that wasn’t what Gu Shishu wanted to hear either.

In the end, the Immortal Lord could only utter a soft “Mm,” lowering his head slightly, then began worrying that he wasn’t being open enough. Instead, he simply tightened his grip on the other’s hand.

Fu Tingxue’s hand had been cold like jade, but now, warmed by Gu Shishu, the heat flowed through him, spreading through his limbs and even into his eyes.

He looked obedient. Gu Shishu couldn’t help but feel moved.

“…Where are we going now?”

After walking in silence for some time, Fu Tingxue finally broke the quiet.

“Are we going to see Shen Nian? The matter the Demon Lord entrusted me with has now—”

Gu Shishu shook his head. He didn’t answer Fu Tingxue’s question, yet the atmosphere between them remained undisturbed. Perhaps because their fingers were still intertwined.

Fu Tingxue swallowed the rest of his words, his voice dissolving into the wind.

No, at this moment, their connection had nothing to do with Shen Nian, nor the Immortal or Demon Realms, nor anything else.

Everything else was just noise.

In the world before him, there was only one person.

Then, as they continued walking, Fu Tingxue saw a massive pear blossom tree.

It looked as if a great cluster of snow had emerged from the layers of green. Though it was not the season for blooming, the tree was faintly wrapped in spiritual energy, preserving its full blossom.

Pear blossoms fluttered down, covering the ground, and the white jade table beneath the tree. The narrow table could seat only two people and seemed to have been left untouched for a long time.

It had been waiting.

Waiting for hundreds of years.

Fu Tingxue abruptly looked up at Gu Shishu, his heart inexplicably uneasy.

It was so much like the past.

In the Qingcheng Sect’s Xio Zhu Peak, they had once sat at such a jade table, whispering the words of youthful love, kissing each other with clumsy inexperience.

And beneath just such a pear blossom tree, they had exchanged their Severance Elixir, vowing to follow the path of supreme detachment. Fu Tingxue had made a wish, giving what he believed was his best to the one he loved.

This place—was too much like Xio Zhu Peak.

How could such a place exist in the back mountains of the Demon Realm?

He moved toward the white jade table and sat down on one side. Gu Shishu finally let go of his hand, yet he felt an inexplicable sense of loss. Almost unconsciously, he caught a drifting pear blossom in his hand.

The petal was damp.

“You…”

Gu Shishu finally spoke, breaking the silence and exposing the atmosphere that had grown between them.

“After we parted that year, I planted a pear tree here and brewed pear blossom wine, burying it beneath the tree. Since then, I have never returned.” He paused slightly before continuing, “Today, I wish to share a drink with the Immortal Lord. Would you be willing?”

Fu Tingxue nodded. He wasn’t sure what kind of expression he had as he looked at Gu Shishu, nor did he dare to think about it.

He certainly wasn’t hiding it well.

He had always been skilled at using the snow in his eyes to conceal his emotions, but this time, what fell was not snow—it was pear blossoms.

Frost and snow were cold and sharp.

Pear blossoms were warm and damp.

Fu Tingxue tilted his head back, looking at Gu Shishu. He made no attempt to hide himself, exposing every emotion in his eyes, laying himself bare before him. Even his frost-white throat seemed to offer itself in surrender, trembling as he relinquished all power of judgment to the other.

Gu Shishu unearthed the hundred-year-old pear blossom wine. There wasn’t much of it—just a delicate little jar. As he removed the seal, a rich, sweet fragrance spread, mingled with a hint of coolness.

“I want to talk with you—”

“Alright.”

Fu Tingxue closed his eyes, then opened them again, seeing the Demon Lord holding a cup of wine in one hand while the other lightly brushed through his hair.

His hair hadn’t been messy.

Gu Shishu paused, then handed him a white jade cup already filled with wine before pouring himself a cup as well. Brushing aside the fallen pear blossoms on the chair, he sat down.

He asked his first question—or rather, he didn’t phrase it as a question at all.

“Immortal Lord, what I wish to know—can you answer me?”

Only now did Fu Tingxue realize what the narrow table meant. It meant that with just a slight lean forward, the distance between them vanished, their breaths mingling together.

He hadn’t spoken a question.

But Fu Tingxue understood. He knew exactly what Gu Shishu was asking for.

And that was precisely why he felt a little flustered.

The Immortal Lord took a sip of the offered wine, wetting his lips without realizing it.

Gu Shishu continued to wait for his answer. Fu Tingxue panicked slightly, thinking he couldn’t let him wait too long, but—

The Demon Lord was not just looking into his eyes. His gaze slowly dropped, landing on those slightly parted, moistened lips, glistening faintly with wine.

The Immortal Lord had always answered every question.

Gu Shishu thought, perhaps he had pushed too hard.

But suddenly, he no longer wanted to take it slow.

Gu Shishu decided to kiss him now.

There was barely any distance between them. The slight tremor of the Immortal’s eyelashes, like butterfly wings, was captured entirely in his view.

Brushing through Fu Tingxue’s hair was like cupping moonlight.

Their lips were about to touch.

And then, Gu Shishu heard it. A barely audible whisper, escaping from the depths of the Immortal’s throat, trembling like it had wings. Softly spoken, but undeniably real.

“I truly have always… liked you.”

Fu Tingxue’s eyes were like mist-laden spring waters, his every word carrying a tremor, as if he was forcing himself through shame to speak.

Gu Shishu could no longer hold back. He kissed him.

The Immortal’s lips parted slightly—he was responding.

Gu Shishu tasted the wine, the coolness spreading and melting into something sweet.

It was a devoted, earnest, lingering kiss.

The trembling and emptiness of the soul were finally soothed.

Everything around them blurred out of focus.

A long-lost lover was finally back in his arms.

Unraveling all the threads, the truth shone before them, clearer than ever before.

Saints forget love.

But they had never forgotten.

Perhaps they could never be those untouchable saints.

But what did that matter?

Even if they could not follow the path of supreme detachment—

Their hearts belonged to love, and that was all that mattered.