Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 88: Lanterns

Shi Jingzhi fell silent for a moment. He looked at Yin Ci with a confused expression, as if he hadn’t realized who the term “Your Highness” was referring to.

Then, he slightly widened his eyes.

Although it was still within fifteen days of the new year, several days had passed since New Year’s Eve, and there were no traces of fireworks in the sky. Yet, Yin Ci saw the man’s eyes gradually light up, as if he had captured a light that others couldn’t see.

Yin Ci patiently waited.

Twenty-four years had passed, and when they first met, they both had their own motives, almost competing to see who could take advantage of the other more—every move and thought were like a chess game, and their minds clashed like flashes of blades and shadows. Seeing their moves being countered and their tricks dismantled, it gave them an exhilarating feeling.

Now, they needed to consider each other, and even a simple probe required careful consideration.

“This matter is my private affair and has nothing to do with you.”

Shi Jingzhi finally opened his mouth, with a hint of warning in his tone.

“Royal secrets involve many people, and the Imperial Preceptor is focused on the way of the Immortal Path. The struggle for the Shirou alone is enough to create chaos in half the martial world. You have already taken risks for me. If your immortal body is exposed, it will only bring endless troubles.”

Yin Ci smiled. “When I posed as Su Zhi and competed secretly with Yan Budu, it was just one of many ‘troubles’. Your matter is nothing, and I won’t hesitate to do what’s needed.”

“And what about it?” Facing the man who was once his “immortal” idol, Shi Jingzhi showed no signs of excitement in his tone.

“What about what?”

“You may be immortal, but you’re not without emotions. Immortal beings can lose control and fall before their inner demons,” Shi Jingzhi said calmly. “If you think you owe me a favor or want to protect your Little Mute from back then, there’s no need to go to such lengths. Twenty-four years ago, you saved my life, and I protected your clarity of mind. We owe each other nothing.”

Yin Ci frowned; this was not the development he had expected.

Instead of taking the opportunity to move closer, Shi Jingzhi seemed to be unraveling and clarifying their past one by one with his words.

“To you, I may be just a brief encounter, fortunate to receive your mercy. You treated me carefully, forbidding me from hurting myself. But two days ago, you injured yourself deeply to save me. I am grateful… but even if you don’t see yourself as a human, I can no longer see you as an immortal either.”

Just like many years ago, Shi Jingzhi reached out and tidied up Yin Ci’s hair.

As a helping hand, was there a difference between a human and an immortal?

Since he desired to live so desperately, why not just accept help openly? Yin Ci didn’t understand Shi Jingzhi’s persistence.

But it seemed like Shi Jingzhi saw through his confusion. He stood up on the roof, smiling warmly. “I do want to live, and now that the enemy has appeared, I will give it my all. As for you, you will see what happens in the end.”

“When you think of me a hundred years from now, I don’t want words like ‘regret’ or ‘pain’ to be associated with it. You promised me a long life with no worries. Now that I am already without worries, you don’t need to dwell on the first part—if I were to fail, it would be because of my own actions.”

It has nothing to do with you, so you don’t need to blame yourself.

The night breeze was light, and Shi Jingzhi’s sleeves were gently blown. He looked at Yin Ci from top to bottom with a gentle gaze while the moonlight behind him glowed like a shimmering river.

“…Besides, if you insist on being an all-powerful immortal, with my heavy desire for life, I will inevitably resent you when I am dying. I detest such a way of dying.”

So, that’s it.

The maple forest in front of Yin Ci faded away, and the image of the smiling child slowly blurred. Shi Jingzhi dispelled the lingering illusions of the past and opened up honestly to him.

“Then, I won’t be your ‘immortal’,” Yin Ci said with a smile.

“Not as a disciple, not as an elder, not as an immortal, and not just for you alone—I will continue to investigate the matter of the flesh idol. I will follow your lead, and I can always find more clues.”

With a long sigh, Yin Ci also stood up and extended a hand. “Your Highness, are you willing to join forces with me?”

In an instant, Shi Jingzhi’s gaze softened.

He exhaled lightly, closed his eyes for a moment, and then smiled as he took the proffered hand. “I have a slight heart ailment, but I can manage. As we travel the rivers and lakes together, I hope you’ll bear with me a bit more.”

…It was a radiant smile that Yin Ci had never seen before.

For some reason, before that smile, Yin Ci felt a little inexplicably guilty—he had already activated the disaster warding talisman to protect Shi Jingzhi, and they had just become fair partners in their cooperation, so it probably didn’t violate any oaths.

Fortunately, Yin Ci wasn’t one to fret over trivial matters. He quickly suppressed his thoughts and considered this as the last memory of his “immortal” life, regardless of whether Shi Jingzhi could break through his facade.

“But this decision is not a small one. You can think it over for a while,” Shi Jingzhi said, unaware of his disciple’s thoughts. He pondered for a moment and then pointed to a street nearby, still brightly lit.

“How about this? Before we go back, let’s walk together down that street. If your thoughts haven’t changed by the end of it, I will accept without any regrets.”

Shi Jingzhi’s tone became much lighter, filled with anticipation and joy.

The Lantern Festival had not arrived yet, so Twin Rivers hadn’t held their festival. However, many shops were prepared in advance with lanterns at their doorways. The street was sparsely populated, but the warm lights were still on, and some business owners were resting at their doors, enjoying the festive atmosphere.

The master and disciple wore wooden Nuo masks and strolled leisurely side by side. Although the surroundings were simple, with shabby houses and dim firelight, they seemed to have stepped out of the bustling gathering into a carefree world.

Shi Jingzhi walked steadily, each step firm and full of strength. Yin Ci suddenly speculated that instead of leaving him time to regret, Shi Jingzhi seemed to be giving himself a chance to stabilize his emotions.

It was quite amusing.

Before this thought could fully form, Yin Ci stopped by himself. They had just agreed to cooperate, so why play tricks? It could be troublesome if Shi Jingzhi misunderstood his intentions.

However, old habits die hard, especially when it comes to teasing people. Yin Ci had to find another way and began recalling the innocent face of the Little Mute. But as he spaced out, he froze in place.

Shi Jingzhi suddenly turned his head, his face full of suspicion.

Yin Ci: “It has nothing to do with what happened earlier. I was just thinking… our relationship is quite deep, and I won’t play tricks on you anymore.”

“I thought A’Ci wouldn’t mind those trivial matters, but I didn’t expect you to be so concerned.”

Yin Ci clicked his tongue and dismissed the topic with a bit of resentment. “I can’t say I’m overly concerned; I just think about it occasionally.”

Shi Jingzhi didn’t know how to respond. Yin Ci acted nonchalant, but his face carried an undertone of “I used to hold you in my arms when you were young” and “elders should act like elders”.

This person was still bothered by those joking matters, indicating that his elder’s heart was still alive. Yin Ci had to erase the shadows of the past completely. Wasn’t that simple? At this moment, they knew each other well enough, so it was better to be open and frank, and this page could be turned.

With the Nuo mask hiding his expression, Shi Jingzhi mustered the courage to take the initiative and plan a counterplay.

At the end of the street, half was filled with flower lanterns and the other half with withered trees.

The wooden Nuo mask was rough and peeling off the oil paint, making half of the face beneath it look even more elegant and ethereal.

Yin Ci’s steps were steady. With his hair unbound, under the dim yellow light, his long hair gently swayed, exuding a soft radiance like still water. His complexion was pale, and his lips were slightly pale, with no visible flaws on his face, as if he were far removed from the bloody dust of the world.

However, he knew more about the taste of blood and gore than anyone else.

Shi Jingzhi had never scrutinized Yin Ci so carefully. He seemed even more attractive than Shi Jingzhi remembered. He had thought teasing him would be easy, but now that he took a closer look, he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

The boldness he had mustered seemed to melt away like sticky syrup. He hesitated for a moment and decided to escape the situation by giving Yin Ci a light kiss on the cheek… After all, when he fed Yin Ci the medicine in the Ghost Tomb, it wasn’t that difficult.

His gaze was fixed on Yin Ci’s pale lips; he felt as if he had swallowed a live rabbit, as his heart was beating wildly.

…Forget it, this matter had to be settled, and there was no reason to diminish his own imposing aura while bolstering the other’s pride. Shi Jingzhi adjusted his Nuo mask slightly, ignoring his inner turmoil, and launched a sudden attack.

He slightly turned his body and kissed the corner of Yin Ci’s lips before quickly pulling back.

He had originally intended to imitate his past self and kiss Yin Ci’s lips, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. It was just a light kiss, but he could feel sweat forming on his neck, and an inexplicable sweetness overwhelmed him.

It was as if it was the first time they had been this close.

Shi Jingzhi hurriedly suppressed his racing heart. He continued to walk as if he had a clear mind and casually said, “In this way, we’re even, and you don’t need to…”

Wait a minute, something’s not right. Shi Jingzhi suddenly had a feeling, and he turned his head to find that Yin Ci was no longer beside him.

Yin Ci stood there, somewhat dazed, without taking another step forward.

Behind him, a rough flower lantern was wrapped around a withered tree; its flame flickering, casting a hazy warm red light. Yin Ci was indeed wearing an ugly Nuo mask covering half his face, but the surprised expression on his face couldn’t be concealed.

It was as if Yin Ci had never expected such a scene. There was no sign of anger on his face; only shock as he looked at Shi Jingzhi, as if he had discovered a demon that was more extravagant than any Arcane Arts.

Shi Jingzhi had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

His mind was filled with all sorts of weird thoughts, and he almost couldn’t focus on the road. He suddenly thought that this person was the epitome of being overly sensitive, just like an official who forbids the common people from lighting lamps to prevent fires. At the same time, he realized that they seemed to have completely missed the opportunity to “dispel the awkwardness” and brought the awkwardness to a whole new level.

Amidst this jumble of thoughts, there was one fixed idea. In front of Yin Ci, he seemed to have completely forgotten how to act and play along.

On second thought, although Shi Jingzhi couldn’t control his own heartbeat, he wasn’t unfamiliar with romantic matters. After all, facing an immortal body, he should be more than capable of handling the situation with ease.

Shi Jingzhi looked at Yin Ci, and contrary to his usual self, he was openly showing his weakness—Great master, what’s wrong with you? Quickly resolve this issue.

However, Yin Ci didn’t respond.

If we were to measure the extent of heartache, Yin Ci was no less affected than Shi Jingzhi.

In their previous conversation, Shi Jingzhi wanted nothing more than to send him tens of thousands of miles away, feeling the urge to dig out his heart and lungs, and tally up the accounts of emotions. Just as Yin Ci had reluctantly placed this man in the category of “another powerful individual”, he was caught off guard by a sudden reversal, as if being struck by a boomerang.

Upon realizing this, his feet stopped on their own. Indeed, this trick was effective, Yin Ci thought. He no longer had time to think about the Little Mute.

However, he didn’t know if he had become too worldly or what, but for a moment, he felt ashamed of his own heart palpitations—the young boy’s innocent face appeared in his mind, along with recent memories of various moments. His emotions were left unattended and were shattered by this kiss, turning into a subtle tenderness.

The words “disrespect towards the elderly” shone even more brightly in his mind, filled with a strong sense of reproach.

Fortunately, it was just a momentary lapse, and he still had a chance to redeem himself.

Yin Ci looked up and met the bewildered eyes of Shi Jingzhi. Both of them were at a loss for what to do, as if they were about to accuse each other of not being able to successfully pretend to be clueless.

The two wooden chickens stood there at the street corner, letting the night breeze blow around them.

Regardless, they eventually finished walking down that street. Yin Ci thought, even if the process and the expected outcome were different, the result was the same—

At the very end, he could no longer play the role of this person’s “immortal”.

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The author has something to say:

It’s getting twisted, it’s getting twisted.jpg

Cooperation is impossible, you are destined to be entangled indefinitely√

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