Chapter 66: The past

Just when Xia Yi was preparing to run off, a wide coat with human warmth fell upon his shoulders. Then he had been wrapped thoroughly. He turned to see Gu Wen Zhu standing before him with a gloomy expression. He was only wearing white underwear.

“Em, I–” Xia Yi wanted to explain, but then everything spinned and next, he was carried by Gu Wen Zhu in his arms.

Okay, Xia Yi thus closed his mouth.

Looking towards the Wang Zhu Yard, Xia Yi curled himself in Gu Wen Zhu’s arms. Only his pale calves were swinging along with every step rhythmically.

“Zhu. How did you follow me here this time?” Xia Yi extended two of his fingers from the coat to scratch a button on Gu Wen Zhu’s chest.

“I saw you dashing out, not saying one word, stretching out your arms to me, with that swirling light around you. Then I understood.”

Gu Wen Zhu looked at Xia Yi while talking. He saw the coat sliding off Xia Yi’s arm with the movement of his fingers, exposing a fair arm in the air, so he quickly caught that hand which was causing all these, then stuffed it back inside the coat.

“So you ran in as well?”

“Yes.” Gu Wen Zhu replied in a low tone. That voice sounded as if it was from his chest, making Xia Yi’s ear which was on his chest shivered.

On their way, they met a few apprentices of the Qi Shan Sect. The moment they saw Gu Wen Zhu, they were shocked at first, then their expressions became complicated.

Without asking, Xia Yi knew. After their transmigration back to the farming world, the whole sect knew that Zhu was the son of Jie Shang, the young master of the demonic world, Ze Yuan. There were not many apprentices who had endured that incident of him killing the people of Mount Yu Lu. Most of them only heard humors about Ze Yuan but had never met him in person.

As soon as they knew that he was Gu Wen Zhu, not a lot of them showed fear towards him. On the contrary, most of these people looked curious. Let alone Ciang Yi confessing that he was his father.

Normally, whenever the elder apprentices looked at the fairy ladies for a few more seconds, they could talk about it for countless restless nights with long and detailed analysis, mentioning how lively those eyes of the fairies were and how their fingers moved slightly. Since this incident of Ciang Yi, which should be enough for them to talk about for a good ten or nine years, all the apprentices had been oddly silent about this.

Too shocking. Not knowing where to start.

They needed half a year to digest this information.

When they were back at Wang Zhu Yard, it was late. The two took a bath and got into bed. Xia Yi buried his head against Gu Wen Zhu’s firm chest, feeling his large hand caressing his belly. He yawned, feeling sleepy.

Just before he fell asleep and lost consciousness, he heard Gu Wen Zhu’s sigh, “How will my parents think about it when they find out that we are gone?”

“Relax. They know we are back here.” Xia Yi murmured a sentence, then he fell deep asleep.

“Xia. Xia.” Xia Yi was awoken by someone calling. Tired, he rolled to bury himself more deeply into the blanket. However, that voice was still insistently ringing in the yard.

That voice sounded like Qing Xiu.

“Bang bang bang.” Receiving no response from Xia Yi, Qing Xiu started knocking.

Xia Yi resignedly opened his eyes, answering, “Wait.”

He turned sideways with effort, then used his two hands to support his heavy body to sit up, and pulled that coat on the chair to him and wore it, emotionlessly sitting on the bedside.

The sky had been lit up thoroughly. There was no one beside him, Gu Wen Zhu got up some time ago.

“What?” Xia Yi sounded like he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed, “Come in.”

Upon hearing Xia Yi’s invitation to go in, Qing Xiu pushed open the door, “Xia. I heard that you are here. The Elder of Tian Ji told me to escort you.”

Liu Si Qian? What’s his business with me?

“Where is Tian Ji taking me to?” Xia Yi supported his belly with his hand and asked.

Then he saw Qing Xiu looking at his round belly with widely opened eyes and his mouth turning into the shape of an ‘O.’

“179. If I tell them I have a belly because I drank too much beer, will they believe me? Right. You don’t have beer here. Then just some middle age crisis?”

“Hoho. Why don’t you tell them you are too sick and there is water in your belly.”

Look how thoughtful Qing Xiu was, he just gave the answers, “Xia. Are you having a middle age crisis? Or, or, are you having some sort of sickness?”

“Not those. I am pregnant.” Xia Yi said without caring too much, then he picked up the cup of tea on the table to take a sip. It was still warm. It was clearly made by Gu Wen Zhu before he left. It was made for him to drink when he was awake.

Qing Ziu giggled, “Xia. You are so funny.”

He giggled and giggled but found that Xia Yi kept looking at him with that emotionless face, then his smile slowly froze on his face. Xia Yi restated, “For real. I am pregnant.” 

For all these months of pregnancy, Xia Yi had already turned from embarrassing and resistant to getting used and open to the whole world. He even felt slightly proud?

Next, Qing Xiu’s face looked like his beliefs had crashed inside of him. He just stood there, dazed, with his expression changing around. After a while, he asked, “You really… are not a female apprentice?” 

“No.” Xia Yi used his most hoarse and low voice to answer, “Do you know where my Zhu went?”

“I met him just now on my way. He went to the kitchen to catch chicken for you. He said he was making soup for you.”

Xia Yi nodded approvingly, “Then what is the Elder of Tian Ji fetching me for?”

“The Elder of Tian Ji had planted a new batch of Muge and he wanted you to see if he had planted them right.” Qing Xiu might have had too much shock, he tilted his head to think for a while, and remembered why he was here.

Xia Yi thought for a moment, he thought it would not cost him too much time to take a look there. After his trip there, when he got back, Zhu’s chicken soup would be ready. So he stepped forward outside, “Let’s have a look.”

Before he went out of the front door, Qing Xiu was still looking flabbergasted. His eyes fell onto Xia Yi’s belly quite a few times. When Xia Yi looked back at him, his eyes would swifted to look at the other ways.

Hoho, the people in the cultivation world were so naive and had never seen the world before.

Xia Yi only remembered that Kirin was not here with him this time around when he saw Qing Xiu summoning his magical item. Then how was he supposed to get to the medicine garden?

Looking at Qing Xiu’s magical item, it was alright, it was a smooth folding fan. It was wide and flat. There were no suspicious things like a spoon or something attached to it. He was a pregnant man. He could no longer jump around ten thousand meters above the ground.

On the folding fan, Qing Xiu started the magical item to fly towards the gate slowly. This was the first time he had a pregnant man on his magical item. He must feel stressed, so he was flying low and slow, and he was making turns gradually. He flew close to the ground towards the gate with a speed of 20 yards per hour.

They met a lot of people of the sect on their way. Some of them accepted Xia Yi’s radishes and onions before. When they saw Xia Yi, they greeted him enthusiastically. However, their eyes would fall onto his big belly. Then their eyes would open widely and their jaws would drop. Although it did not seem like some weird sickness, that proud expression on Xia’s face, that hand supporting his waist, really made people think too much.

“179. When we are back, give everyone in the sect a carrot and an onion. They are my mother-in-law’s apprentices after all. Then they will be counted as family as well.”

“Alright. Host. Your mother-in-law is my mother-in-law.”

With the steering of Qing Xiu who was very nervous, the magical item slowly flew away from the gate and flew towards the medicine garden at the foot of the mountain along the stone pavement.

There were around a dozen miles between the medicine garden and the gate. It normally took a few minutes to fly there. But with this speed of Qing Xiu, they could not reach their destination in less than twenty minutes.

The fan flew past a few rocks. Due to its close distance with the ground, the fan made a few bumps along the curve of the rocks. Qing Ziu immediately turned to see if there was something wrong with Xia Yi.

Seeing that he looked normal, he then turned back his head in relief to continue moving forward. But when he turned, out of nowhere, the sky became all dark.

Xia Yi subconsciously looked up, then he saw something like a big fishing net falling from the sky upon the two of them on the fan. Then, a strange kind of aroma swifted into his nose.

Xia Yi thought it was not good. Then he felt dizzy, his eyelids become heavy, and everything he saw doubled and overlapped before him. Before he lost consciousness, he used his hands to protect his belly.

He heard 179 screaming in panic in his brain, then he lost consciousness and knew nothing.

Half consciously, he saw that emerald colored pool of water. In the waves of that pool, a soft and low voice rang beside his ears, “Lan. Lan.”

The scene changed. He felt that he was a teenage boy, pushing open the wooden door to run outside with a bunch of nice smelling strelitzia in his hand.

“Lan. Where are you going?” Someone called from behind, Xia Yi turned to look and found that it was his mother.

“I am going to find Ze Yuan. He promised to take me to see the ocean today.” Xia Yi heard himself answering. He sounded younger.

“Wang Lan. Ze Yuan needs to cultivate too. Don’t stick to him all the time.” That voice got further and further from him. This teen with the name of Lan had already ran a long distance away.

“I know–” Xia Yi saw his hands beside his mouth, shouting towards a figure in front of that wooden house far away at the col of the mountains. “Ze Yuan will not think that I am too much. He wants me to be with him every day.”

Wang Lan. So this teenager’s name is Wang Lan. Xia Yi thought in his dreamy state.

Wang Lan merrily ran among trees, letting the sunlight fall onto him, as if he was a deer jumping around in the woods. He was even humming that song Ze Yuan had been singing to him:

Edelweiss, Edelweiss.

Every morning you greet me.

Small and white clean and bright.

You look happy to meet me.

Quickly, He came to a pool. Wang Lan looked around, searching. Seeing no one, he began to shout, “Ze Yuan. Ze Yuan. I am here.”

His voice echoed in the forest, scaring a crowd of birds to fly into the blue sky. With no response, Wang Lan pursed his lips. He sat on a rock beside that pool of water with the bunch of strelitzia. He swung his legs and waited in boredom.

The pool was clear and shiny. He could not resist taking off his shoes and socks, and dipped his fair white feet and ankles into the water. Suddenly everything spinned. Someone took him up from behind. Wang Lan wanted to scream but he recognized the smell of grass and woods of that person behind him. His fear was no more, only surprise and excitement were left with him.

His little earlobe had been enveloped by that person’s mouth. The person’s breath hitting him on his neck. At the same time, a low voice rang, “How long have you been waiting?”

Hearing this voice, Xia Yi’s lips moved semi consciously to speak slightly. In his mind, the sound rang with Wang Lan’s surprised voice, 

“Zhu.”

“Yuan.”

All the scenes were becoming clearer and clearer, Xia Yi felt as if he was going through all the stories between Wang Lan and Ze Yuan.

When he was a child, the two knew each other in the woods. Ze Yuan sneaked out from the demonic world to play and met Wang Lan who got lost. Ze Yuan looked at this white dumpling boy coolly. He was crying his lungs out and holding his hand tightly, calling him Yuan, “I can’t find my mother. My mother brought me here to see flowers. I was chasing the butterflies and mother was gone.”

Ze Yuan’s face was serious. He tried to move away those little fingers which were holding onto him tightly one by one. Right when he intended to turn and walk away, his waist was held onto tightly. That white dumpling boy cried so hard that he could not open his eyes, “Don’t go. Don’t go.”

Ze Yuan struggled a little but failed to set himself free. That desperate cry was ringing beside his ears. He could not help but sigh, and said resignedly, “Do you know that you are noisy? You are giving me a headache. If you continue crying, I will dump you here.”

Upon hearing this, that dumpling suddenly stopped crying.

Because he was trying hard to hold his breath, that face with all the tears on it was all red, and he was sobbing.

Ze Yuan looked around, frowning like an adult, “What’s your name? Where do you live? Let me escort you back.”

“My name is Wang Lan. I live at home.” Dumpling was talking in a baby’s voice. There were still tears sticking and holding their places on those eyelashes of those big, round eyes.

“Since you can’t tell where your home is, you should stay here until your mother comes and finds you.” Ze Yuan wanted to dump this child so much and went to play with the monkeys in the woods.

“No. I am following you.” Wang Lan was like a lost little birdie, following the very first person he met. He then realized that he had been out for quite some time, if he did not go and catch some monkeys quickly, the guards of the demonic world would have found that he was out and he would be scouted by his father.

And so Ze Yuan could only hold Wang Lan’s hand and said fiercely, “Then don’t cry, stay quiet. Walk on your own.”

Wang Lan was not afraid of his fierce face at all, on the contrary, he smiled with his eyes turning into lines. He used the other hand to cover his mouth, and whispered, “I will be quiet.”

The two played for an evening in the woods.

Ze Yuan went to chase the monkeys. Wang Lan sat on a rock to look at him happily. Ze Yuan ran, sweating. Wang Lan pulled out his small handkerchief, standing on his tiptoes to brush off the sweat for him, and said, “Lower your head. Lower your head.”

Ze Yuan stared at him, halted, then he lowered his body.

Wang Lan mimicked how his mother had been brushing off the sweat off him, and he rubbed around Ze Yuan’s face seriously, his mouth was saying, “Don’t run too fast. Be careful not to fall.”

The ends of Ze Yuan’s lips lifted with the slightest motion, showing a smile for a short moment.

The two played until a voice called Wang Lan from afar. That was his mother.

Seeing that the time was late, Ze Yuan needed to go back to the demonic world. Before he was gone, his sleeve had been caught.

Poor Wang Lan looked at him, he blinked, and asked in a low voice, “Will you be here tomorrow?”

Ze Yuan wanted to reject him, but seeing the hope in the eyes of the person before him, he could not speak that out.

Somehow, he nodded, “I will.”

A smile quickly emerged from Wang Lan’s face, “Then I will be here to wait for you tomorrow.”

Since that, whenever the guards did not notice, Ze Yuan would lose them to leave the demonic world and ran to the Valley of the Bright moon to see Wang Lan. From afar, he would always see a small figure sitting on that stone waiting for him silently.

Every time he saw Ze Yuan, those round eyes were lit like two brightly shining stars. He would call his name in surprise and pounce onto him. Ze Yuan caught that figure with his arms, although he was not saying anything about it, his lips would curve to show a warm smile.

With Wang Lan growing older and able to express himself more fluently, Ze Yuan began to know more about him. His parents were flower fairies. They turned into human forms from stellizia. They had been living in this Valley of the Bright Moon full of spiritual energy for over two hundred years.

The couple wanted a place far from the outer world to concentrate and cultivate. They did not expect to have a spiritual baby and gave birth to Wang Lan. And so, the two flower fairies thus were no longer in the right mind for cultivation. They cared for their son all day long, paying all their attention to Wang Lan.

Witnessing Wang Lan knowing a man from the demonic world out of nowhere and hanging out with that guy every day, running everywhere in the mountain, the couple was worrying about him. Deep down, they knew, a spiritual baby like Wang Lan, in both the cultivation world or the demonic world, those who used his flesh would gain a lot of power.

But no matter how much they tried to stop him, Wang Lan would sneak out. Hit him? They could not hit such a fair and cute boy. Scout him? He would stare at you with those big watery eyes.

As time passed, Wang Lan was still safe, the two flower fairies had no other choices but to sigh and shook their heads, no longer continuing their interference for him to find Ze Yuan. With Ze Yuan growing older, his power became stronger. The name of Ze Yuan, the son of the demons had been spreaded around.

This day, Wang Lang was waiting on that rock as usual, with a strand of grass in his hand, staring at the direction where Ze Yuan was supposed to come. In view of the fact that much time had passed since the time they should have met, and that the sun was setting, Ze Yuan still did not show up.

Is he not coming today? He was caught up by something? Wang Lan pursed his lips, tears welling up in his eyes.

The sun had already fallen behind the mountains far away, a dark mist crowded the woods. That small figure was still waiting with lowered head, unmoved.

That drop of tear was hanging on his lashes. At this moment, a voice echoed from his side, “Wang Lan.”

Ze Yuan was standing there all wet, breathing roughly. His face was starting to look like a man. The sweat slid off his handsome face towards his chin. Just when he finished his words, that figure looked up abruptly, then, like a birdie, dashed this way directly to pounce into his arms, burying his head against his chest.

“Why are you so late today? Where have you been?” The muffling sounds came from his chest area, with some bitter nasally sounds.

Ze Yuan stood there in panic, staring at that black and soft head in his arms. The teenager was still entirely wet with water dripping off him. He wanted to push him away but could not bear to lose that softness and warmth, and so his arm held its position in the air just like that.

As the bitterness was gone, Wang Lan began to furiously ask him, “Say it. Where have you been? Making me wait for this long.”

He was no longer that soft dumpling in front of Ze Yuan. He now would show his fangs once a while fiercely. 

“I heard from the guards that the snakes from the Pool of the Two Dragons have been coming out causing chaos a lot lately, so I went there to kill both of them today. I made a few boots for my father using their skins. And I have brought you the core of the snake. This snake core is also called the dragon core. It will glow at night. I am giving you both of them. If you put them in the tent at night, you won’t need candles.”

Ze Yuan looked proud though he seemed tired. After saying so, he stretched out to search in his clothes and pulled out two clear and shiny balls. He pulled out Wang Lan’s hand gently, and put one in his palm, “You may have it.”

Wang Lan looked at the snake core in his palm, then looked at Ze Yuan.

There were cuts on his clothes, enabling him to see the cuts on his skin inside. There was one very long and deep cut on his back, and he could somehow see some skin curling up.

His eyes then started to redden, his lips trembling, “Who would want your cores? I don’t want them.”

Seeing him like this, Ze Yuan panicked, he hurriedly said, “If you don’t want it then don’t have it. We will not have these snake cores. The eye of my Big Black is hatching. Let me catch you a little kirin when he has one. Okay? You can feed it and play with it.”

“No. I don’t want that either.” Wang Lan’s tears began to fall down drop by drop, “Look at you. Just a day not seeing you, you manage to torture yourself and make you look like this.”

Ze Yuan was busy rubbing off the tears from his face. But then he saw his fair and soft skin reddened by his hand rubbing on it, making him panic even more, not knowing what to do.

Wang Lan was crying, but could not resist checking out that cut on Ze Yuan’s back. He asked with a sobbing tone, “Is that painful?”

“No. Not at all. Really.” Ze Yuan hurried and said.

Looking at Wang Lan’s falling tears, Ze Yuan only had one thought, to stop him from crying. Then, he used his hands to envelop that face. Wang Lan’s face was small and fair, with the tears washing it, it looked like a shiny piece of jade with drops of water on it.

Somehow, he leaned forward to catch that drop of tear from his lips. Wang Lan obediently closed his eyes, his eyelashes shaking, more tears sliding down his face. Ze Yuan was kissing those tears, here and there, then his lips fell onto those pink lips.

…

When Ze Yuan looked up, Wang Lan’s eyes were still closed.

He had already stopped crying for some time. His lips were swelling a little with some sparkly light shining on them. The whole face was in a misty pink color. He saw that thin eyelid which was vaguely showing some blue veins opening, showing those shiny eyes. Ze Yuan panicked to release Wang Lan from his grip. He took two steps back and said staggeringly, “It’s late now, I, I’ll just go back.”

“Okay.” Wang Lan did not make him stay, unlike what he was doing usually. He only lowered his head to make a slightest sound that anyone could hardly hear.

From the view of Ze Yuan, that fair and slender neck was painted with a layer of pink.

After walking away for a couple of steps, Ze Yuan stood still to look back, and said loudly, “Wait for me tomorrow. I will be on time.”

Then, he ran and pulled out his spear to throw it into the air, and jumped onto it. Just after he took flight, he heard Wang Lan shouting loudly behind him, “I know. Remember to heal yourself.”

Ze Yuan rode the spear back to the demonic world. He used his fingers to touch his lips, smiling. Not long after, Ze Yuan brought a small kirin which had just stopped drinking milk. It was all black. Those yellowish orange eyes looked like two amber stones. Wang Lan just loved it right away.

“Big Black was very fierce. I am bringing Little Black to play with you discreetly. And I have to bring it back after sunset.” Ze Yuan was playing with that horn of the small kirin and talking to Wang Lan who was holding Little Black.

“I know. I will just play with Little Black from time to time.” Wang Lan kissed the forehead of Little Black. Little Black comfortably closed its eyes and affectionately rubbed against his chest.

Ze Yuan came to the Valley of the Bright Moon every day with Little Black. The two began to explore places beyond the valley to play and reach out to further places. This day, Ze Yuan was riding his spear with Wang Lan leaning on his chest, Little Black in his arms. The two flew low above the sea.

The sea was silent, blue and clean. Sometimes there were dolphins jumping out of the water, causing some splashes, making Little Black howled at them. The end of the sea was the mountains. Those mountains were so tall that they speared through the clouds. The skyline could be vaguely seen there with some floating islands.

“Wah. What is that? Floating islands.” Wang Lan pulled Ze Yuan’s sleeve excitedly, pointing at the front, “Let’s play there and look at the islands.”

However, strangely, there was no response from behind him. Wang Lan turned back in curiosity, seeing that Ze Yuan did not talk with a gloomy expression, and he was not even looking at those islands, he was just looking down at his feet. Wang Lan saw him this way, so he lowered his voice to ask carefully, “What’s wrong? Why are you unhappy?” 

After some time, Ze Yuan raised his head to look at those floating islands, “Lan. I have never told you about this. I have a family member on that floating island.”

This was the first time Wang Lan heard this from him. He quickly shook his head.

“Although I know he lives there, I haven’t visited there once. And that I have only heard this from my father for once when he was drunk and slipped his tongue.” Ze Yuan was feeling down. “My father never talks about this person. But I know he missed this person very much deep down. At night, I always see him standing at the top of the palace, drinking, looking in this direction. On a night with a bright moon and stars, the floating islands here will appear vaguely in the sky.”

Wang Lan was not expecting him to continue, but then Ze Yuan said in a low voice, with a hint of disappointment in his voice, “That’s my mother.”

After that, Ze Yuan looked at Wang Lan, wanting to see his expression. But there was nothing strange with Wang Lan’s expression, as if just now he had heard something from a neighbor.

“Let’s go. Let’s go and look at places near where your mother lives.” Wang Lan looked towards him and said softly.

Ze Yuan’s heart was pounding rapidly.

Due to the negativity or some other reasons, he had never reached out nearby the floating islands, and he never asked his father about Ciang Yi. But with Wang Lan talking about it like this, a strong emotion rose in him. He said to himself, “Go and take a look. Just one look. It’s not that I wanted to go, it’s just that Wang Lan wanted to go.”

The spear flew towards the floating island, passing through all the lakes and mountains on the way.

Ze Yuan looked at that gate of the Qi Shan Sect in the mist, his heart racing.

That person lives inside.

His magical item landed on a medicine garden. The purple herbs swayed in the wind, extending a wave in vivid color towards the sky. Wang Lan ran in the field, laughing and screaming. His eyes were full of excitement, “It’s pretty here. Let’s not go back. Let’s live here.”

Ze Yuan saw his sparkly eyes, those porcelain like skin was glowing pink. He smiled and nodded, “Then we will live around here later.”

“Yes. We can build a wooden house and live here.” Wang Lan nodded hugely, as if he was afraid his statement was not loud enough.

The sky was turning darking, so the two had to leave. Just after they got onto the magical item, a man flew from far away and stopped before them when he saw the two.

“Are you friends of the Qi Shan Sect? I am Chen Qian from Mount Yu Lu. I am here because of the invitation of the Elder of Tian Xuan. I am coming with our leader Wu to Qi Shan.” Another man wearing frayed clothes came up and greeted them.

Wang Lan and Ze Yuan looked at each other and said, smiling, “We are not from Qi Shan. We are just playing around here.”

The people heard them. Then they observed the two. The one who spoke first turned to speak towards the person behind him, “Leader. Let’s go then.”

The others behind him nodded slightly. However, he squeezed his eyes a little when he saw Wang Lan, with a meaningful smile, “A spiritual baby! A few years longer for him to mature.”

That smile was like a vicious snake with a coldness lingering around him.

Xia Yi suddenly felt fear and pain from his heart and the scene before him dampened. He heard his rough breath and a lot of people laughing frantically around him. His body felt as if he had been tied onto a cold stone tablet. He felt pain all over his body. He was terrified. He wanted to scream. He wanted to call for Yuan, his parents, but he could only hear some weird airy sounds from his throat.

Painful. It was painful all over his body. He felt so bitter. Where is Yuan? Where are his parents? Where are you? Lan is painful…

Xia Yi felt his throat being grabbed onto tightly. He began to struggle vigorously and breathing heavily.

“Xia. Xia. Wake up.” Someone was calling him anxiously, pulling Xia Yi out from that dark abyss. Qing Xiu saw Xia Yi, who was painfully shivering in a coma, opened his eyes abruptly. Xia Yi was staring at the top of his head with heavy breaths. Qing Xiu thus asked carefully, “Xia. What happened?” 

Xia Yi was panting and looked away slowly. Everything around him were huge rocks and mountains. There were a few strangers staring at him anxiously. And among the people who were looking at him, one of them was Qing Xiu.