The disciples within the barrier had yet to react. They had assumed that Lin Shijin would not return alive once he went out. Yet after he stepped outside, they saw no blood splatter.
Nor did they hear any screams. The figure flickered indistinctly within the black mist, drawing everyone’s attention in surprise.
To step into the black mist and not be torn apart at once was impossible. Even if he could endure it, he should not be able to last long.
They were all curious. Though surprised, one disciple could not quite bear it and suggested, “Young Sect Master, we should act now.”
If the barrier were repaired, the person outside might still make it back alive. Even the faintest chance should be seized.
The suggestion fell, yet Mo Yan did not move at once. Instead, he watched the figure beyond the barrier, a trace of surprise and faint interest in his gaze. Mo Yan remained where he was.
No one knew how long the person outside could hold on. Perhaps in the next instant he would be devoured by the fiends. The disciple wanted to say more, but upon meeting Mo Yan’s eyes, he immediately fell silent.
The black mist outside grew denser. The figure still stood where he was. Even if he had not been affected by the fiends, he showed no sign of raising his sword.
“What is he standing there for? Why hasn’t he drawn his sword?”
“Perhaps he’s been frightened senseless.”
“Or maybe his cultivation is actually quite high, and we’ve misjudged him?”
“He’ll likely be swallowed up in a moment…”
Before the gloating disciple could finish speaking, countless fiends surged forward. In the next instant, an overwhelming pressure descended, pinning everyone in place.
Sword light pierced through layers of black mist. The figure within it became clear. The man outside the barrier drew his sword, and a sky-full of sword light scattered half the fiends. The black mist dispersed along with it, restoring half the sky to clarity.
Moonlight spilled down. The man still wore a veiled hat. His pale fingers were slightly tensed, his figure seeming almost to merge with the moonlight at the horizon.
His aura was cool and gentle, yet carried a terrifying edge. His bearing was noble, as though all living beings ought to bow before him.
The impression lasted only a moment. He quickly restrained his presence, becoming once more as unremarkable as any ordinary person.
The sensation of being suppressed by that pressure seemed to linger. Everyone stood dumbstruck, some still unable to move.
Lin Shijin stood where he was for quite some time, his mind still blank, the sensation of surging spiritual power lingering vividly. He lowered his gaze to his fingertips, where faint talismanic script coiled.
The faint whispers still lingered in his ears. The curses echoed within him, mingled with countless other indistinct voices.
The curses transformed into sigils, branding themselves upon his body. They burrowed deep into his marrow, sending a piercing chill through him. It felt as though the cold seeped up from the darkest depths of the earth, leaving him utterly frozen, unable to feel any warmth.
His mind reeled. The whispers murmured softly, like ripples striking the depths of his sea of consciousness. That inner domain was in chaos, as though being flayed by a blunted blade, carving mark after mark into it, while scorching flames roared through its fragile expanse.
A thin line tightened around his neck, constricting his breath. The taste of blood rose in his throat.
He seemed to stand within a frozen hell, yet also on the edge of a sea of fire. Ice and flame intertwined within him, bringing twin extremes of agony. He teetered on the brink of an abyss. Countless eyes stared up at him from below, luring him to jump.
“Fuheng… I feel awful.” Lin Shijin could scarcely lift his sword. Blood surged in his throat as he forced out the words. He stared at the dense sigils covering his palm, a heavy gloom coiling around his heart.
That gloom pressed down upon a tide of negative emotions. His consciousness was on the verge of collapse. “Am I going to die?”
“No.” Lin Fuheng took in the youth’s condition at a glance. This level of pain was only the beginning. His fingertips brushed the youth’s forehead, wiping away the cold sweat. “Go and find your shixiong first. He is still waiting for you.”
At the words “shixiong”, the youth recovered a trace of clarity. His eyes brightened slightly, and the flames within his sea of consciousness subsided.
He seemed faintly surprised, but said nothing.
Lin Shijin recalled his purpose. Why had he come out? Sheng Rufei was still waiting inside. He did not know whether he had awakened.
He returned to the cave, his steps unsteady. As he entered, many gazes fell upon him.
He could not remember what Mo Yan had said to him. His thoughts were filled entirely with Sheng Rufei. The pain was unbearable, and Sheng Rufei was the only remedy that could ease it.
Only when he reached the boulder and saw that familiar face did he finally relax. Behind the rock, Sheng Rufei had awakened at some point. He was looking at him with a cold, faintly appraising gaze.
When their eyes met, the pain vanished. In its place rose a sense of grievance and unease, leaving him at a loss. It was as though he had been caught doing something wrong and now awaited judgement.
The constriction at his neck seemed to loosen slightly. Simply being near Sheng Rufei made him feel better. He reached out, intending to check Sheng Rufei’s injuries. Before he could touch him, Sheng Rufei avoided it.
“Shixiong, when did you wake?” Lin Shijin lowered his hand. Meeting Sheng Rufei’s icy gaze, all the composure he had shown outside vanished without a trace, leaving him faintly cowed.
“Not long ago. Someone cast an illusion spell on me just now.” Sheng Rufei’s gaze fixed on empty space, his expression cold, the words clearly directed at Fuheng. “Was it he who sent you out?”
Lin Shijin understood at once. He was not surprised by Fuheng’s actions. Their ways of thinking had always been entirely different.
Sheng Rufei wished to protect him at all times, while Fuheng did not trust Sheng Rufei, only wanting him to rely on himself and grow stronger.
“Shixiong, do not blame him. I wanted to go.” Lin Shijin sensed Sheng Rufei’s aura growing colder. The earlier pain seemed to linger. He reached out and tugged lightly at Sheng Rufei’s sleeve, his voice dropping.
“Shixiong, don’t look at me like that. It hurts.”
“My whole body aches.”
His ear was suddenly tugged. It was Fuheng. Fuheng disliked seeing him act spoiled towards Sheng Rufei, and would tug his ear whenever he did.
He felt caught in the middle, torn both ways, like being forced to choose whom to save first.
Lin Fuheng had thought that after comprehending sword intent, the youth would become more independent. Now it seemed entirely useless. If anything, he had become even more clingy. He was treating his shixiong like some honeyed medicine.
Lin Shijin had no idea that Fuheng was already seething. He continued to cling to Sheng Rufei. When Sheng Rufei did not immediately comfort him, he looked up at him, a little dejected.
His expression was far too obvious to miss. After a moment, Sheng Rufei pulled him into his arms. He stumbled into an embrace faintly scented with fallen plum blossoms.
Sheng Rufei’s cool voice sounded by his ear. “Do not listen to him next time. If you know it hurts, do not repeat it.”
Lin Shijin thought that now he had already stepped onto this path, there was no turning back. He murmured, “Shixiong, it does not really hurt that much. It hurt outside, but when I am with you, it doesn’t.”
If he could peer into his own sea of consciousness now, he would find that the flames had already died down, and the wounds upon it were slowly healing.
All the pain stemmed from the chaos within the sea of consciousness. Since ancient times, people had suffered greatly from it. Deviation into madness likewise arose from the turmoil caused when the sea of consciousness turned upon itself. Now, the youth had calmed the damage within his own mind.
Lin Fuheng had initially been surprised, but now he understood.
The moment the youth saw his shixiong, his will to live overwhelmed everything else. He placed his shixiong above all things. Thus, the instant he saw him, the flames in his sea of consciousness died out. Sheng Rufei could suppress the pain he endured. It could only be called a miracle.
Fuheng had calculated everything, yet had not foreseen this outcome. For a moment, he did not know whether to be relieved or troubled.
With Sheng Rufei present, the youth could overcome all pain and remain as usual. But now Sheng Rufei bore the burden of his fate through reincarnation. If one day Sheng Rufei were to disappear, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Lin Shijin still clung to Sheng Rufei like a sticky rice cake. Disliking being watched, he cast a barrier around them so that those outside could not see.
“I mean it. The moment I’m with you, I don’t feel any pain at all.”
“What are you made of, Shixiong? I like you so much.”
The youth in his arms radiated cheer, as though little pink blossoms were blooming around him. He hugged Sheng Rufei happily, his eyes full of delight, and leaned in to kiss his cheek.
Sheng Rufei had been rigid and cold, but under such clingy affection, it felt as though something in his chest cracked open, and his composure faltered.
Holding the buoyant youth, his voice stiffened slightly. “Do not move about.”
Spoilt as he was, Lin Shijin was not afraid of him in the least. Knowing Sheng Rufei could do nothing to him, he kissed him again and said shamelessly, “I just went out, and it hurt terribly. Don’t be fierce with me anymore.”
“Let me hold you for a while. If I do, it won’t hurt.”
Indeed, the pain in Lin Shijin’s body had already faded. The moment he touched Sheng Rufei, it was as though he had escaped from a frozen hell.
“Shixiong, I just dealt with the fiends outside. With you here, I can take on ten at once. No one will be able to hurt you again.”
He knew Sheng Rufei would ask. Holding him close, brushing against his ear, he met his gaze. “Because you’re here, that pain can’t affect me.”
The youth’s eyes were clear, his voice as soft as ever. Sheng Rufei felt something swell within him. His once barren and desolate heart stirred, beating slowly with new life because of the youth before him.
At that moment, it felt as though something heavy settled upon his heart, yet when it did, it was light.
His fingertips pressed lightly against the youth’s brow. There were words he wished to say, yet in the end he said nothing. He merely touched the centre of his brow with utmost care.
Lin Shijin’s thoughts shifted quickly. One moment he was thinking of kissing his shixiong, the next, meeting Sheng Rufei’s cool gaze, he suddenly remembered something important.
That bastard. The day before yesterday, he had reacted just from being touched. And he had not even known who it was.
A moment ago Sheng Rufei had still been moved by the youth’s joy. The next, the youth abruptly pushed him away, glaring at him in anger.
“Sheng Rufei.” He called him by name.
Sheng Rufei gave a quiet acknowledgement. The youth leaned closer, questioning him unhappily, “I forgot about this yesterday. Do you know what you did when you fainted?”
He did. It had been a natural reaction. His self-control had always been weaker around the youth, which was why he avoided letting him cling too much.
“Yes.”
At that single word, Lin Shijin’s mind buzzed, and he immediately bristled.
