Author: 梦溪石 / Meng Xi Shi
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 160
As early as during the incident at Kunlun Mountain, on the way when Long Shen rushed there with He Yu, He Yu had spilled all the beans about his relationship with Dong Zhi. Even though at that time, He Yu’s gossiping was limited to Team 2 and Yu Buhui, it was impossible that with his big mouth, he didn’t continue to spill the details as days passed.
Long Shen didn’t mind at all. He simply didn’t want to make a fuss about it and felt there was nothing much to tell. He wasn’t afraid of people knowing. Even if He Yu spread their story for all to hear, it wouldn’t affect Long Shen in the slightest.
But he didn’t know if Dong Zhi minded.
Seeing Dong Zhi’s face turn red after hearing the driver’s attempt to cover up, his eyes darting left and right, avoiding eye contact, a hint of displeasure rose in Long Shen’s heart. He couldn’t help but wonder if for Dong Zhi, their relationship was something hard to disclose to others.
He had thought that after all they had been through, the two of them would have been on the same wavelength. However, it seemed that wasn’t the case.
After his coughing, the driver felt as if the phrase “there’s no silver here*” was brightly stamped on his forehead. He wanted to say more to ease the atmosphere, but it didn’t work as he’d hoped. Glancing at the two through the rearview mirror, he didn’t dare make another sound. Seeing the green light ahead, he floored the gas pedal and zoomed to their destination.
*It’s an idiom derived from a folk story that refers to trying to cover up a fact but instead exposing the truth. You can read the folk story in my Kinky Thoughts.
After letting the two leaders off the car, he heaved a sigh of relief, feeling like he’d escaped a near-death experience.
However, Dong Zhi didn’t overthink it. He and Long Shen returned to their dormitory, and he began packing.
“Master, shall we find a place nearby to eat first or eat at the airport later?”
Long Shen responded with a grunt, ending the conversation.
Dong Zhi took the white cat that had jumped into his backpack out and put his laptop in. Looking up, he noticed Long Shen sitting by the bed, seemingly lost in thought while watching him pack.
“Master?”
Snapped out of his reverie, Long Shen replied, “What?”
Kneeling in front of him, Dong Zhi pressed a hand against Long Shen’s knee. Without hesitation, Long Shen reached out, placing his hand on Dong Zhi’s shoulder.
“Are you okay? Since we came back, you seem lost in thought. Are you still thinking about our sacrificed colleagues?”
Long Shen shook his head. “The departed are gone, but it’s not the end for them. Life is always in a cycle; every season just marks a new beginning. Ming Xian managed to preserve a sliver of Ding Lan’s soul. Upon our return, Boss Wu already had someone from the Yuanming Palace help him pass on.”
By saying so much, he meant that he wasn’t continuously immersed in the sadness of mourning the deceased.
Dong Zhi found it amusing that his master had started beating around the bush when speaking, but his face betrayed no emotion.
“What’s the reason for this?”
After a moment of contemplation, Long Shen said, “The last time Yu Buhui asked about our relationship, I told him.”
Dong Zhi nodded.
Long Shen continued, “Yu Buhui told He Yu, and He Yu told everyone else in Team 2.”
Dong Zhi: ……
“That’s why Kan Chaosheng knew!” Dong Zhi said with a mix of laughter and disbelief.
“It was my oversight. I shouldn’t have told Yu Buhui without your consent,” Long Shen admitted.
But at that time, when he returned from Japan burdened by the demonic qi and seeing the turmoil in Kunlun, uncertain about how much time he had left, he became selfish for once. He hoped Dong Zhi would be as far from danger as possible and also wanted to leave some memory of himself to those around Dong Zhi. In the times without him, he hoped others would occasionally remind Dong Zhi of his presence. This indescribable feeling grew stronger, and while he knew it might be an after-effect of the demonic qi, he let it fester without the intent to stop it.
“It’s okay, I just felt a bit embarrassed,” Dong Zhi said shyly.
“Embarrassed?” Long Shen frowned in confusion.
Dong Zhi nodded. “Yes, it was our personal matter after all. But now that it’s public, it doesn’t bother me. I’m just worried they might misunderstand you.”
Long Shen inquired, “Misunderstand what about me?”
Dong Zhi chuckled. “In my eyes, you’re the most responsible and dependable master in the world. But people can be judgmental. I don’t care for myself, but I fear your reputation might suffer. Those unaware of the full story might misjudge you.”
Hearing this, Long Shen’s mood instantly lifted.
“I never cared about such things,” he said, lifting Dong Zhi’s chin. “I just thought you did.”
Observing him closely, Dong Zhi realized that Long Shen’s eyes were stunningly beautiful. Even though he had always known that this man was so handsome that every movement drew attention, this was the first time Dong Zhi had meticulously studied Long Shen’s eyes.
Before, Long Shen had always been calm and composed, but now he was more emotional. The two of them also had more temper flare-ups when together, and sometimes Long Shen even retreated as a way to test him.
Taking advantage of the situation, Dong Zhi reached up to Long Shen’s neck, pulling him slightly down, and the two exchanged a lingering kiss.
“Master, even though I prefer your initiative now, we still need to find a way to get rid of the residual demonic qi quickly.”
Compared to Dong Zhi’s slightly out-of-breath tone, Long Shen’s voice was much steadier. It was as if the passionate, nearly ten-minute-long kiss, where they were entwined almost as if they were one, hadn’t affected him. Dong Zhi could clearly sense that Long Shen now enjoyed this feeling greatly. But he was unsure if this was Long Shen’s true desire or influenced by the demonic qi.
Long Shen raised his hand to wipe away the silver thread at the corner of his mouth, calmly saying, “There’s no need to seek special solutions. I can slowly dispel the demonic qi through daily meditation.”
Dong Zhi: “Once the demonic qi is completely dispelled, will your temperament revert to how it was before?”
After pondering for a moment, Long Shen responded, “Actually, I think the way I am now is quite good. Some emotions I previously couldn’t experience, and some things I may not have wanted to do, are now just magnified desires.”
Intrigued, Dong Zhi asked, “Like what?”
Touching Dong Zhi’s waist, Long Shen teasingly said, “Making love?”
Dong Zhi hadn’t expected the conversation to take this turn, with his fair face turning bright red in a matter of seconds.
Seeing this, Long Shen chuckled. “Didn’t you already think I had a good physique and wanted to sleep with me?”
Flustered, Dong Zhi stammered, “I-I never told the Yulu about that!”
Long Shen explained, “Before you and He Yu went to Yangcheng, I took a strand of hair from you to use as a medium so I could communicate with you telepathically. You remember, right?”
Of course, Dong Zhi remembered. At that time, he hadn’t become an apprentice yet. Rather than saying he liked Long Shen, it would be more accurate to say he admired and worshiped the strong.
Long Shen elaborated, “Back then, I used telepathy to guide you in finding a way out. All the noisy thoughts in your head reached my ears.”
Dong Zhi muttered, “…I’ve forgotten what I was thinking at that time.”
Long Shen’s memory wasn’t just good; it was astoundingly sharp. He recounted, “You worried about escaping one moment, then compared the physique of the pursuing demon to mine the next, thinking that girls your age would like someone like me and even desire to sleep with me. Somehow, this led you to think of yourself—”
“Alright, alright, stop!” Dong Zhi was beet-red, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the ground.
Knowing the playful nature of his thoughts, especially during times of danger, Dong Zhi tried to explain, “When I’m nervous, I have wild thoughts to lighten the mood and make myself laugh to reduce the tension.”
Realizing he couldn’t get away from Long Shen’s teasing gaze, Dong Zhi finally gave in, scratching his head in exasperation. “Okay, I admit I sometimes think outside the box, daydream a lot, and imagine various scenarios. When you suddenly pinned me against the wall back then, I thought you had ulterior motives. But I also knew it wasn’t possible. It was just a way to amuse myself. Please don’t misunderstand; my intention to become your apprentice is sincere and has nothing to do with those messy thoughts.”
He remembered how Long Shen had been upset about his confession and didn’t want any more misunderstandings.
“I really thought of you as a male god back then, without any disrespectful intentions.”
“Now I’m not a male god?”
Long Shen couldn’t help but laugh. He had long realized that while Dong Zhi might have a wild imagination, he was incredibly genuine, which made him even more endearing.
“Now you’re the most beloved male god, one I can be irreverent with!”
Seeing him laugh, Dong Zhi realized that Long Shen was intentionally teasing him. He couldn’t help but laugh too, lunging forward to give Long Shen a fervent kiss.
“To be honest, Master, knowing you heard all my messy thoughts back then, didn’t you feel like I had ulterior motives?”
Long Shen shook his head. “People tend to have chaotic thoughts when they are anxious. Like you said, imagining the most improbable scenarios to ease tension. At that time, you were just an ordinary person. Given the circumstances, you stayed rather calm. I didn’t take those thoughts seriously.”
Dong Zhi: “What about later—”
Long Shen seemed to know what he wanted to ask. “I can distinguish between jest and sincerity. The words you told the Yulu later on, I knew you were serious. That’s why I got angry.”
Thinking about those days of initial anxiety followed by despair and finally acceptance, Dong Zhi almost felt a familiar sense of desolation.
“But I gradually understood my own feelings and realized that having someone genuinely, unreservedly loving you is such a joyous and precious thing. If it weren’t for you getting cursed and being in imminent danger, I might never have realized this.” Long Shen’s tone was somewhat self-mocking. “People often cherish things only after they lose them. For the first time, I realized I wasn’t exempt from this rule through you.”
“Master.”
“Mm?”
“Even though you’re analyzing your emotions, why do I feel like I’m ecstatically floating towards the sky?”
“Well, with me pulling you back, you can’t really soar,” Long Shen responded seriously with a joke, stretching out his hand to pull Dong Shi into a stoop.
“Hiss!” Dong Zhi sharply inhaled. “We’re running out of time; we should head to the airport first and then eat!”
Long Shen’s gaze settled on Dong Zhi’s collarbone, which was exposed due to his bent posture, and he absent-mindedly said, “How about some white jade tofu*?”
*Clarity: Tofu is sometimes used to describe someone’s skin, so in this context, he’s actually saying, “How about I eat you” flirtatiously.
“What?”
Sighing, Long Shen pulled him closer. “I meant, we can reschedule our flight.”
……
On the other side, when Kan Chaosheng was unexpectedly hung up on by Dong Zhi, he grumbled, “What’s his problem? I wasn’t even done speaking!”
Just as he was about to redial, he saw Deng Po give him a flabbergasted expression.
Kinky Thoughts:
Once upon a time, there was a man named Zhang San who worked hard every day and managed to save three hundred taels of silver. He was very happy but, at the same time, worried, always afraid that someone would steal his money. After thinking about it, Zhang San found a big box, put the three hundred taels in the box, then dug a hole in an open space behind the house and buried the box deeply in the ground.
After doing this, Zhang San felt relieved and was about to go back to rest, but before leaving, he took a look at the place where the box was buried and became worried again, fearing that someone would accidentally dig it out. So he slapped his head and came up with a “good solution”. He quickly took out a piece of paper and wrote on it: “There’s no three hundred taels of silver here.” After writing it, he pasted the note on the corner of the wall and then left with peace of mind.
Zhang San’s abnormal behavior was seen by his neighbor, Wang Er. Wang Er felt curious, so he sneaked behind Zhang San’s house while he was asleep and saw the note by moonlight. Wang Er instantly understood at once, so he dug up the box and stole the silver. Seeing the money, Wang Er was very excited, but he was also afraid of being discovered by Zhang San, so he hurriedly filled the hole again. After thinking about it, he also took a piece of paper and wrote on it: “Your neighbor Wang Er never stole it.”, and pasted it on the corner of the wall where the previous note was.
The next morning, after Zhang San got up, he went to the back of the house to look at his silver and suddenly found that it was gone. After seeing the note pasted by Wang Er, he immediately understood: Wang Er had stolen his money!
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