Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

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Chapter 143: Plan

Yin Ci opened his eyes to a bright scene outside the window. The town was empty, but the birdsong remained melodiously sweet.

Even in such a small town, the temple of the Imperial Celestial was splendidly magnificent. Yin Ci had dismantled the clay idol on the altar. The remaining platform, padded with a few quilts, was just right for use as a bed. The sunlight shining on the red silk fabrics inside the temple warmed the heart at a glance.

The thick red candles had burned down cleanly, with wax tears dripping down the table’s edge. In the dawn light, they gave off a semi-translucent haze that was truly beautiful. The cup used for the ceremonial exchange of drinks lay tipped over to one side, the residual wine emitting a faint fragrance.

If one ignored the temple’s scent of incense, it truly resembled a bridal chamber. Away from the hustle and bustle of the world, even amidst the chaos, there was a certain leisurely charm.

The hastily sewn wedding garments lay crumpled on the ground, while the inner garment hung nearby, swaying gently in the warm breeze. Yin Ci reached out to grab it but felt a strong restraint from his waist—Shi Jingzhi seemed to have completely forgotten about waking up at the hour of yin and held Yin Ci tightly, sleeping soundly.

Both were without their undergarments, so the sensation of skin touching skin was incredibly distinct. Shi Jingzhi’s body temperature was slightly higher. Yin Ci felt as though he were leaning against a large hot water bottle; it was comfortably warm and dizzyingly intimate.

Yin Ci didn’t force himself to reach for the clothing, but with some difficulty, he turned around. He then hugged Shi Jingzhi’s shoulders, pulling him closer to his chest.

Wrapped in a familiar scent, Shi Jingzhi’s face relaxed even more in sleep.

After a night of passion, they had explosively released pent-up emotions. However, if it weren’t for the injury on Shi Jingzhi, he might not even have closed his eyes—insatiable in desire, always wanting more. Even expecting this, Yin Ci was still taken aback.

Originally, Yin Ci thought that because Shi Jingzhi was injured and physically weak, he shouldn’t be too assertive and would need to treat him gently and take the initiative to guide. Who would have thought that Shi Jingzhi was exceptionally perceptive and intuitive, channeling all his unrestrained energy into action. Startled, Yin Ci occasionally glanced at the wound and, when necessary, licked it with his tongue, fearing that Shi Jingzhi might get too carried away and forget about the fresh injury on his throat.

Their mutual desires surged like a flood breaking through a dam or a sudden storm. Fortunately, even in Shi Jingzhi’s fervor, a sense of rationality remained, and Yin Ci didn’t suffer any setbacks. Both the master and disciple were trained in martial arts, making them evenly matched in bed. By the latter part of the night, both of their minds had nearly melted from the intense passion and satisfaction, with little memory of the rest.

It was a true wedding night in every sense.

Yin Ci, who had lived a life of asceticism for over a century, could not compete with worldly desires when deep feelings arose. These bottomless desires were like a vast abyss that was hard to fathom, yet intriguing and captivating.

With that thought, Demonic Lord Yin lay down confidently—he hoped to wake up a bit earlier to see Shi Jingzhi’s sleeping face.

With the pain from his injury and the horrifying vision of the demonic tree, Shi Jingzhi hadn’t slept soundly in a while. Now, his head was buried in Yin Ci’s chest, and his breath was shallow and drawn-out. Yin Ci’s fingers brushed over the red marks left from the previous night. The warmth of soft hair tickling his fingers was soothing.

He moved very gently, but unfortunately, a soft rumbling sound emanated from someone’s stomach, followed by eyes fluttering open.

Waking up, Shi Jingzhi was disoriented. He groggily looked up at Yin Ci. “Zizhu, I had a wonderful dream, where we became…”

He was halfway through his sentence when he clearly saw that Yin Ci wasn’t wearing his inner garments. Sect Master Shi was stunned as if struck by lightning and froze on the spot for quite some time. One hand moved from Yin Ci’s earlobe to his chest.

The other’s skin was warm, and the heartbeat was steady and strong, clearly indicating that this wasn’t a dream.

Seeing Yin Ci’s teasing eyes, Shi Jingzhi quickly withdrew his hand as if he had touched a soldering iron, his face turning red. In the sunlit temple, Sect Master Shi’s face almost matched the color of the red candles.

Unable to hold back, Yin Ci laughed. “Your shyness seems to fluctuate. Don’t be shy to touch. It’s not like I will break.”

He then casually got up and put on his inner garment.

“Let’s get up. We need to go back to the inn. I’ll prepare some food later, and you boil the water. We sweated a lot last night; a good bath is in order.”

Shi Jingzhi remained seated on the altar for a while.

The moment paired with the scene made them seem like a normal couple in love, without the worries of demons or conspiracies. Everything he had sought in life seemed within reach.

“I understand.”

Blinded by the dawn, Shi Jingzhi instinctively reached out towards the light. But halfway through, he shifted direction and touched the scar on his neck, exhaling a deep sigh.

“…No porridge for breakfast. There’s a stream behind the temple. I’ll catch a few fish.”

However, the powerful allure of that spring night was overwhelming. Even though the steamed fish was deliciously sweet, and the egg custard was silky smooth, Sect Master Shi still couldn’t taste anything. If not for Yin Ci’s timely intervention, this man might have almost stuck his chopsticks up his nose.

By the time the two of them entered the bath, the man still looked disoriented.

“Above the word ‘desire’ there is a knife. The ancients didn’t deceive me*. Especially when the one you treasure is in front of you, it truly torments the heart,” Shi Jingzhi said as he picked up a strand of Yin Ci’s long hair, which was moistened by the warm water and shone like black jade. “If one sets one’s heart on something but cannot obtain it in the end, that is truly a living hell.”

*Clarity: He’s talking about the word (色) which means color, but in this context it means lust/desire. On top of the word (色) it has the radical (⺈) that’s similar to (刀) which means knife. Thus, what Shi Jingzhi is saying is, there’s a knife hanging over one’s desire (head), suggesting that giving in to such desires can lead to trouble. The latter half of the sentence refers to how the wisdom of the ancients (wise ones) indeed holds true, referring to the former half of the sentence.

This person was still young and vigorous. Yin Ci couldn’t help but laugh. “You’ll never step into that ‘living hell’ in this lifetime. Just be at ease.”

Shi Jingzhi’s earlobes turned slightly red, and he half-submerged his face in the water, blowing out a stream of thoughtful bubbles.

After a while, Shi Jingzhi, with a serious expression, was about to speak. Unexpectedly, a sparrow suddenly descended from the sky, scratching the top of his head causing him to hiss. “This is a sparrow demon raised by the Yueshui Pavilion. Can’t it read the mood?”

The sparrow innocently hopped around twice and then perched on the rim of the tub, tilting its head to look at him.

Before meeting his lover, Sect Master Shi wasn’t eloquent. Just as he finally mustered up some thoughts, they were disrupted by this little feathery ball. He unhappily opened a delicate handkerchief and began to read a message from Shen Zhu. The more he read, the higher his eyebrows rose.

“Zizhu, about the matter we discussed yesterday, we can now discuss it in detail. Since both require action, let me speak first.”

Shi Jingzhi gathered his wet hair, his eyes no longer showing confusion and shyness. Under his powerful presence, the romantic atmosphere shifted, and even the peach branches outside the window seemed to take on a solemn air.

“When you first followed me, you wanted to die, didn’t you?”

His question was so direct that Yin Ci didn’t know how to respond, so he simply nodded.

“And now? After a hundred years with me, do you still wish to continue living?”

Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi with a complex gaze. This person was truly different from when they first met. He no longer acted impulsively without thinking. Instead of showing anger at Yin Ci’s affirmation, Shi Jingzhi revealed understanding.

After pondering for a moment, Yin Ci sincerely replied, “In my two hundred years, I think I’ve seen the ups and downs of the world. But now I realize I must have missed a lot… However, such scenery, I cannot see alone.”

“I don’t need immortality. Just growing old with you is enough.”

Shi Jingzhi nodded seriously. “I understand.”

“What do you think?”

“You, Zizhu, and those who ate the Shirou are the same, an ‘Immortal’. Based on that, you all are probably connected to the demon tree and can be considered the same kind.”

“Yes.”

“This is unprecedented. It’s hard to say whether, after separation, you can survive. How could I bear to use you as a test? It’s better to capture that person and see.”

Shi Jingzhi waved the handkerchief in his hand.

“To deal with that demon tree, Shen Zhu and the others have found a way.”

Yin Ci frowned slightly. “Capture that person?”

That person likely ate the Shirou and was the previous “puppet”, certainly more powerful than Yin Ci, who was an accidental product. How could they just capture him at will?

“Yes, capture him,” Shi Jingzhi said with a bloodthirsty smile. “Last time I was on the brink of death, I could clearly feel someone’s intention to rescue me—if it wasn’t you who saved me, then someone else was about to. The demon tree has no consciousness, and the people of the Immortal Assembly weren’t nearby. The only one who could intervene without detection was him.”

Yin Ci suddenly understood Shi Jingzhi’s intention—

“Zizhu, I’m their carefully cultivated ‘good puppet’. If he… that thing comes to rescue, it would make sense why the Immortal Assembly ignored me all along.”

Shi Jingzhi traced the wound on his neck, and a drop of blood seeped out, mixing with the warm water.

“This time you come to kill me, not rescue. Wait for him to intervene, and we can catch his trail… Once we catch him, we might get more information about the demon tree.”

The blood mixed with water slid down Shi Jingzhi’s collarbone, disappearing into the bath.

“Even if things go horribly wrong, we still have the disaster-warding talisman as our last resort.”

Though the idea was mad, after a moment of silence, Yin Ci slowly revealed a smile.

“It’s a good plan, but it needs some refinement… Come closer, now it’s my turn to share my thoughts.”

Yidu, the Imperial Preceptor’s Residence.

Qu Duanyun, dressed in new clothes, was led underground by Jiang Youyue.

“Master, if Shi Jingzhi refuses to eat the Shirou…”

“Even if we don’t mention the Children of Desire, there’s a saying among mortals: ‘drinking poison to quench thirst*.’ A Child of Desire’s nature is extremely selfish; it’s impossible for him to give up his life for external things.” Jiang Youyue spoke calmly. “Admittedly, we made mistakes in handling the Yan Budu affair and explained things too clearly. This time, we’ve left room for maneuver, and Shi Jingzhi will naturally be unable to resist the urge to live.”

*Idiom referring to seeking temporary relief regardless of the consequences.

Despite such words, Qu Duanyun always felt that something was amiss.

For someone on the brink of death, Shi Jingzhi seemed too composed. As for his disciple of unknown origin, he had yet to fully understand him. There were rumors that “Yin Ci is a descendant of the Su Clan”, but no one could provide concrete evidence.

Then there was the Great Prohibition in the Northwest… Although the prohibition was still in effect, its efficacy was gradually weakening. Jiang Youyue once said that as long as the Great Prohibition was still effective, there wouldn’t be significant leaks. Yet, all these anomalies were like tiny holes in a white wall, constantly unsettling him.

Finally, the two stopped in an empty underground stone chamber. Seeing Jiang Youyue halt, Qu Duanyun hesitated for a moment, preparing to voice his doubts.

However, before he could speak, he saw Jiang Youyue lift his robe and kneel down, even more respectfully than when facing the previous Imperial Preceptor.

“I greet the True Immortal. I’m getting old, so I’ve specially brought the younger generation to pay respects to your Esteemed One.”

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