Chapter 86: Little Butterfly, easy to please, but hard to deal with
Yu Shi: “You…this…”
Feng Xuexiang tightly hugged his neck, his face buried against him, gently rubbing, his voice soft: “Ignore it.”
Although he had a reaction, it seemed he only wanted to hold like this.
Feng Xuexiang fit snugly against him, like a coiling vine.
Bearing beautiful flowers, appearing delicate, yet capable of strangling towering trees—beautiful and dangerous vines.
After a while, Yu Shi noticed his small movements: fingers touching the short hair at the back of his head and kissing under his ear… very clingy.
Yu Shi had thought he had been clingy enough before, often wanting to follow him and hold his hand, but now realized he had actually been somewhat restrained.
Although he didn’t mind his being so affectionate, in this state, who could sleep?
Yu Shi pulled down Feng Xuexiang’s hand that was clasping his neck and placed it on his waist.
“Can you hold my waist instead?”
“Mm.” Feng Xuexiang’s voice was satisfied, obediently holding his waist.
Yu Shi didn’t like sleeping close to others and woke up several times at night.
But he didn’t shake off Feng Xuexiang’s embrace because several times when he woke up, he found Feng Xuexiang asleep.
Feng Xuexiang lingered in his room every night, but Yu Shi had never seen him truly asleep. Every time Yu Shi woke up, Feng Xuexiang was awake.
Yu Shi had, several times during the night after waking up, seen him sitting on the blanket at the edge of the bed, staring blankly, and had seen him lying beside him, motionless, staring at the ceiling.
When he was trapped in the mud pond, he was in a deep sleep, and every year upon waking from a long slumber would forget many things. In this way, it was understandable why he would resist sleeping.
Yu Shi had silently tried to make him some sleep-aiding foods and drinks, brewed medicinal soups, played soft music, lit sleep-inducing incense, or changed to a new pillow, but none worked.
He thought that perhaps the spirit demon really didn’t need to sleep.
But now, Feng Xuexiang had fallen asleep holding him.
His sleeping face was calm and peaceful, devoid of the feigned innocence he showed when awake. Upon closer inspection, he had the appearance of a young man with a soft, moonlit glow, his delicate, smooth cheek pressed against him, and his body exuded a faint scent of lotus flowers.
Yu Shi wanted to gently remove and tidy the stray strands of hair pressed against his chest, but his fingers were held, and he feared pulling them out would wake him, so he dismissed the idea.
Half-awake, he glanced at his sleeping face for a moment before closing his eyes and drifting back to sleep.
*
In the morning, Feng Kuo went to the kitchen to look for food, catching a whiff of a delightful aroma.
He thought Zhui Mu might be in the kitchen, but when he peeked in, he was surprised to find Yu Shi busy, with several breakfast dishes already laid out on the table.
“Wow, why such a lavish breakfast?” Feng Kuo bit into a bun and chuckled, “You seem to be in a good mood. Did you and Little Ninth get together? Where is Little Ninth? Why isn’t he clinging to you?”
Yu Shi brought him a bowl of porridge and two small plates of side dishes. “He’s still sleeping. Let him sleep a bit longer.”
Feng Kuo’s chewing slowed, and after a moment, his expression turned pained as he muttered, “I knew it, I knew it! All that height for nothing!”
As he spoke, hurried footsteps approached from outside, and Feng Xuexiang entered the kitchen wearing a thin sweater.
He saw Yu Shi standing in the kitchen and tentatively hugged his waist.
Yu Shi turned to him and said, “Why aren’t you wearing a coat?”
Yu Shi didn’t reject the hug, and Feng Xuexiang’s eyes lit up. “I’ll go put it on right away.”
“Go ahead, don’t catch a cold. I made several kinds of breakfast today, see what you’d like to eat.” Yu Shi patted the hands clasped around his waist.
Feng Kuo saw his younger brother rush into the kitchen looking for someone, seemingly oblivious to his presence. After Feng Xuexiang finally came out, still attached to Yu Shi, Feng Kuo deliberately greeted him, saying, “Hey, Ninth Sister!”
Feng Xuexiang smiled at him, “Seventh Brother.”
The small dish that Feng Kuo had just picked up dropped onto the table as he vigorously rubbed the goosebumps on his arms. What was going on? Did he not hear him correctly? He had called him “Ninth Sister,” and yet he wasn’t angry?
Feng Xuexiang was in an exceptionally good mood, so much so that he could forgive anything, even this brother who was asking for trouble.
It wasn’t just Feng Kuo; everyone else noticed Feng Xuexiang’s unusually good mood.
Feng Kuo tried to provoke him several times, but Feng Xuexiang only gave him a forgiving smile each time.
Feng Kuo couldn’t help but pat Yu Shi on the shoulder, sincerely saying, “I really give up. Master, what did you do to make him suddenly turn into a Buddha?”
The “Buddha-like” younger brother’s forgiving smile vanished instantly. He slapped Feng Kuo’s hand away and issued a dissatisfied warning: “Your hand—move it. Don’t touch his shoulder.”
A while later, Feng Kuo saw him massaging Yu Shi’s shoulder as if that pat of his could have caused serious harm.
Yu Shi was a healthy young man; just that morning, Feng Kuo had seen him single-handedly moving a heavy iron stove with ease, clearly showing his strength. Did he really need to be treated with such care?
…
Yu Shi and Feng Xuexiang had come here to see the snow-capped mountains. The mysterious ancient tomb was just an unexpected detour. For the next two days, they left early and returned late, exploring the nearby snowy mountains.
Feng Xuexiang remembered how Yu Shi had wanted to photograph Jinxi but couldn’t capture the right moment, so they went back twice more until they finally captured the most beautiful scene of the Jinxi Snow Mountain.
Yu Shi was not someone with many material desires; Feng Xuexiang rarely saw him wanting anything. So when he did discover something Yu Shi wanted or something he wanted to do, he made sure Yu Shi got it or did it.
Although Yu Shi didn’t think much of this particular matter, Feng Xuexiang cared more about his wishes, and Yu Shi found that this feeling was quite nice.
The two of them waited by the Jinxi River for the light to come, watching as the snow-capped peaks slowly became cloaked in gold.
For Yu Shi, this was a very beautiful memory as well.
…
After staying in Apu Village for a few days, Yu Shi and Feng Xuexiang prepared to leave, while the other three planned to stay a little longer.
Feng Kuo took the initiative to drive them to Gedenta County to catch their ride.
After dropping them off and seeing them onto the vehicle, Feng Kuo leaned against his car, smoking a cigarette.
As he absentmindedly looked around, his gaze fell upon someone who seemed vaguely familiar. After a moment of careful observation, he walked over and gave the person a hard pat on the shoulder.
“Isn’t this my nephew, Feng Zaixing? Do you still remember your Seventh Uncle?”
The young man’s face was pale, and Feng Kuo thought he seemed a bit frail. When his hand landed on Feng Zaixing’s shoulder, the young man seemed to want to pull away but stopped himself and forced a slightly unnatural smile.
“Seventh Uncle?”
Seeing the unfamiliar expression on his face, Feng Kuo realized that he probably didn’t remember him, but he didn’t mind.
Although they were uncle and nephew, they had never been close and had little contact over the years. It had been several years since they last saw each other, so it was normal if he didn’t remember.
Feng Kuo didn’t like the Feng family and despised Feng Houzhan. His relationships with his siblings weren’t great either, but the old grudges among the older generation had nothing to do with the younger ones.
Putting on the air of an elder, Feng Kuo asked with concern, “What brings you to such a remote place all by yourself?”
Feng Zaixing—or rather, the soul that had taken over his body, named Xin Liu—had acquired this body but retained very few of Feng Zaixing’s memories, so he didn’t recognize Feng Kuo.
However, he had just witnessed Feng Kuo saying goodbye to Feng Xuexiang, so he didn’t doubt Feng Kuo’s identity.
“I’m here because of Ninth Uncle. He’s been away from home for so long and didn’t want any Feng family members to follow him, so I came quietly to check on him,” Xin Liu found a suitable excuse.
Of course, the truth was far from this. He had been surprised to see Feng Xuexiang here.
He had gone to great lengths to calculate that a disciple’s tomb was in this area and had come specifically to retrieve a jade book. To his dismay, Feng Xuexiang’s presence here gave him an uneasy feeling.
Though he appeared calm, Xin Liu was already growing increasingly agitated inside.
“Little nephew, I advise you not to follow your Ninth Uncle. He has a bad temper, and if he thinks you’re in the way, he might just trap you in the car. So it’s better not to bother with him and just head back,” Feng Kuo suggested.
Xin Liu pretended to be in a difficult position, then finally said, “You’re probably right. Maybe I shouldn’t follow him. Was Ninth Uncle here for a vacation? What brings you here, Seventh Uncle?”
“Your uncles are here to see the snow-capped mountains. Watching the snow in summer—cool, right?” Feng Kuo said, grinning as he patted Xin Liu on the shoulder.
Xin Liu responded, “It does sound cool. Now I want to see the snow mountains too.”
Regardless of anything else, he still needed to visit that disciple’s tomb.
And so, after sending off his two brothers, Feng Kuo found himself taking in a nephew instead.
Xin Liu was warmly welcomed by the group. While maintaining a polite façade, he skillfully dealt with the exorcists and then used the pretext of sightseeing to head to the snow-capped mountains alone, making his way to the location he had calculated.
After spending some time searching, he finally found the tomb, only to discover that someone had already beaten him to it. The outer area bore signs of damage, and the tomb door had been opened.
He examined the faint and unclear ancient Li Dynasty script and noticed the sorcery symbols and patterns, deducing that this must be the tomb of one of his fellow disciples.
This particular disciple had come from a remote region. Their master, Chi Heng, had said that he had a bloodline related to shamans and had shown him extra care. Later, when selecting nine disciples to extract their souls and refine them into pills for the benefit of future generations, this disciple had been chosen as well.
Judging by the humble state of the tomb, it was clear that his lineage had not produced particularly outstanding descendants, leading to the construction of such a modest burial site.
When Xin Liu couldn’t find the jade book in the coffin, his expression darkened for a moment. “Well, it’s fine. It will take time to gather everything anyway.”
He continued to explore the tomb, eventually discovering a hidden smaller chamber.
Inside the chamber, there was a painting of an ascension scene, accompanied by a “celestial pill” offering.
This so-called “celestial pill” was actually a flesh pill designed to house a human soul, all crafted from the blood and flesh of the disciples by their master, Chi Heng.
Xin Liu took out the pill that contained his fellow disciple’s soul. With a surge of strange power in his hand, he crushed it forcefully.
A piercing scream echoed as the pill, along with the soul within, shattered into pieces.
Their master had intended for the nine disciples to work together to aid in his resurrection. But after all these years, Xin Liu had come to a different conclusion—he no longer wished to be a loyal disciple.
All he wanted now was the jade book and a suitable body for himself.
After erasing any traces of his actions, Xin Liu exited the disciple’s tomb.
…
From a distant mountain, Feng Kuo watched his nephew emerge from the tomb. He stroked his chin, pondering whether his nephew had come on his own or if the Feng family had sent him upon learning some information.
Initially, he had followed his nephew into the mountains out of concern for his frail physique, never expecting to uncover any secrets.
Should he tell Little Ninth about this?
*
On the train departing from Gedenta County, Feng Xuexiang noticed that Yu Shi was looking at property listings.
“Do you like this kind of house? Isn’t it too small?”
“A smaller place feels more like a home. With fewer people, it’s just the right size,” Yu Shi replied.
After that, he put away the rental information, avoiding further discussion and instead bringing up other topics to divert Feng Xuexiang’s attention.
Yu Shi had long considered renting a place. Beyond the Feng family residence, he wanted to have a place of his own.
If Feng Xuexiang ever felt like leaving the Feng family, they could occasionally stay at his place for a couple of days.
They didn’t make any more stops along the way and returned directly to the Feng family residence in the south.
Xiao Chuang, who stayed behind, was delighted to see them return and eagerly helped unpack the local specialties Yu Shi had brought back.
After just a day of rest, Feng Xuexiang mentioned that he wanted to go out, dragging Yu Shi to a nearby villa community not far from the Feng family residence.
Yu Shi took in the sight of the brand-new villas, his mind forming a suspicion. Sure enough, Feng Xuexiang led him to one of them and asked, “Do you like this one?”
Yu Shi: “…………”
Feng Xuexiang closely watched his expression, his smile faltering slightly. “If you don’t like it, we can look at others?”
He then showed a hint of a pitiful, cautious, and almost pleading expression.
They walked together around the small garden. Yu Shi eventually sat down on a bench and asked, “What do I look like to you?”
Feng Xuexiang sat beside him, pondering the question. “You look like… a pure white dove?”
“Wrong,” Yu Shi replied.
“Like the spring breeze?”
Yu Shi sighed at his endless stream of pleasant comparisons. “I look like a guy who’s milking money from a wealthy lover.”
Feng Xuexiang: “…………”
“How could that be! This is just a small gift, and I can give you much more!” Feng Xuexiang blurted out, almost in a panic.
“That just makes it seem even more true,” Yu Shi muttered to himself.
Feng Xuexiang had this personality that made him want to shower the person he loved with everything he had. If it wasn’t Yu Shi he was in love with—or if he ever fell for someone else in the future—he could so easily be deceived or hurt.
“Xuexiang, promise me you won’t fall for anyone else, okay?”
Feng Xuexiang’s whole body tingled at the sound of Yu Shi calling him by name for the first time. “Okay.”
“This house is wonderful, but I don’t need it right now. Let’s just keep it for now, alright?” Yu Shi gently stroked Feng Xuexiang’s long hair, softly and tactfully declining the gift.
“Alright,” Feng Xuexiang agreed.
With a broad smile, Feng Xuexiang returned to the Feng family residence and immediately called for Steward Sui.
“Go find out if anyone has said anything unpleasant in front of Ashi,” Feng Xuexiang said, his smile vanishing completely as he muttered to himself, “There must be someone who said something bad; otherwise, he wouldn’t be thinking like this.”
Steward Sui, unsure of the reason, nodded in agreement.
Feng Xuexiang suddenly remembered someone else and asked, “Where is Feng Zaixing?”
“Young Master Zaixing left a few days ago. His destination is unknown,” Steward Sui replied, unsure why Feng Xuexiang would suddenly inquire about Feng Zaixing. “Does Ninth Master need him to come back?”
“No need, I don’t have time to worry about him,” Feng Xuexiang said, dismissing the thought of Feng Zaixing immediately.
