Chapter 228: Early-blooming Wildflowers
Yu Yin’s room was slightly larger than Yu Guang’s. Since his eyes couldn’t see, the interior was arranged with simplicity in mind.
The corners of the bed frame, cabinets, and table had been carefully smoothed by Yu Guang, and there was even a cat bed he had made himself.
To any visitor, the room appeared plain, modest, and clean. Yet occasionally, when the room’s owner sat quietly in the darkness, the shadows within seemed deeper than the night itself.
Faint black threads crisscrossed the space, draping down like inverted curtains, layering over the seemingly empty room.
These living black spider silks infused the room with an eerie stillness, isolating it from the outside world. Even lively mice or chirping insects avoided the area.
Yu Yin wasn’t lying on the bed but instead sat by the window. Outside the half-open window, the wax plum blossoms were nearly gone, their fragrance faded entirely.
The orange tree Yu Guang had transplanted for him last year still had dark green leaves but hadn’t yet begun to sprout new buds. The tree had grown just tall enough to be level with the window.
Yu Yin held the hair ties Yu Guang had just placed in his hand and brought them to his nose for a sniff.
There wasn’t any particular scent. If he had to describe it, it was simply the smell of something that had soaked up plenty of sunlight.
*
The next day, Ban Ying and the others were all astonished to discover that Yu Yin had tied his hair up.
Though it was just an ordinary ponytail, it was an extraordinary sight for Yu Yin, who had always worn his hair loose.
Having lived with him for years, everyone knew how special Yu Yin’s hair was to him—he wouldn’t allow anyone to touch it lightly.
His hair, connected to his abilities, never tangled or grew messy like ordinary hair. It was always jet-black and smooth.
It was said that tying it up or pinning it in place made him uncomfortable, so he always wore it down, at most loosely gathering it with a cloth strip.
But today, he had neatly tied it up.
The people working at the Exorcism Bureau couldn’t help but steal glances at Yu Yin’s head throughout the day.
Ban Ying had already looked several times. He was the first to notice the hair tie Yu Yin was using and couldn’t help but smile.
“What are you smiling about?” Pei Wenjue asked.
“Don’t you recognize the hair tie our little brother is using?” Ban Ying replied.
With that reminder, Pei Wenjue finally remembered.
Just a couple of days ago, he had stumbled upon their big brother squatting by the stove in the kitchen, boiling something. At first, it startled him—he thought their big brother had suddenly decided to cook up something for them.
As Pei Wenjue debated whether to slip away to avoid any culinary disaster, he realized that what their big brother was boiling wasn’t food, but shredded deer tendons mixed with some roots and stems. He’d said he was “making something.”
At the time, no one knew what he was up to. For two days, their eldest brother had been meticulously working on those small, delicate pieces, taking his time and putting in a great deal of effort.
Now they knew—he had been making a hair tie for Yu Yin.
Pei Wenjue suddenly felt awkward and a little jealous. With a twinge of sourness, he muttered, “Big Brother, honestly… why didn’t he make a few for us too? It’s not like we don’t have hair that could use tying.”
Ban Ying kicked him. “Big Brother and Yu Yin share a special bond. What’s it got to do with you? Get back to work.”
The “special bond” between the two brothers led to yet another late-night run.
“This was an accident, not on purpose,” Yu Yin muttered as he rolled over, moving his leg off his big brother’s lap.
But Yu Guang got up, put on his coat, and pulled Yu Yin up with a single word: “Run.”
This time, they jogged around North Mountain, the place where Yu Guang and Yu Yin had briefly stayed together when Yu Guang first arrived in this world.
Midway through the run, something unexpected happened. Yu Guang noticed Yu Yin had fallen behind. He turned back and asked, “What’s wrong?” while extending his hand toward him.
Yu Yin stood still at the side of the mountain path, his fingers lightly touching Yu Guang’s outstretched hand. He transmitted a message directly into his mind:
“The cat fell into a pit.”
The gray-eyed cat, acting as Yu Yin’s “eyes,” hadn’t kept up. Without it, Yu Yin couldn’t see the dim mountain forest path.
Yu Guang withdrew his hand. “Wait here,” he said.
By the roadside, a hunting trap had been dug—a pit more than a person deep, its bottom lined with brambles and sharpened bamboo spikes.
The gray-eyed cat had fallen in, accidentally pricking its paw on the spikes. As it leapt against the dirt walls in an attempt to climb out, faint traces of blood were left behind.
The cat was a puppet controlled by Yu Yin, with all its senses and awareness linked to him.
Like its master, the cat was almost completely silent. Even after falling into the pit and injuring its leg, it made no noise, trying instead to escape on its own.
Yu Guang, agile as ever, climbed down the dirt wall and retrieved the cat. He examined its injured paw and carried it to a nearby mountain stream to rinse the wound clean.
As he held one of its paws and gently washed it, the fluffy creature clung to his arm. Suddenly, it tilted its head up and let out a soft, delicate meow.
Yu Guang instinctively turned to glance at Yu Yin, who was still waiting by the roadside. “What is it?” he asked.
The cat shook its wet paw, trying to free itself. When it struggled to jump away, Yu Guang grabbed it again, placing it on his shoulder like a hanging ornament.
“That’s enough running for today. Let’s walk back,” Yu Guang said, extending his arm so Yu Yin could hold onto it as they walked together.
As they strolled along the mountain path, Yu Guang casually remarked, “There’s a hunter’s cabin on this mountain. Remember a few years back when we stayed there?”
How could Yu Yin forget? That simple cabin had leaked wind and rain. Yu Guang had painstakingly repaired and reinforced it, only for them to move to the Divine Academy after just a couple of days.
Back then, Yu Yin had been preoccupied with figuring out where Yu Guang had come from. Unfamiliar with him and still in the testing phase of their relationship, Yu Guang’s presence had been both baffling and disruptive.
Now, after several years as Yu Guang’s younger brother, Yu Yin remembered every single day with perfect clarity.
Unlike his previous life in Qiyun Tower, where every day felt the same and left little distinction, Yu Yin now found himself cherishing memories of the present. Looking back, the monotony of that past life had become a blur.
As they walked through the gradually brightening mountains, they passed a flowing stream.
“Remember this spot? We bathed here once,” Yu Guang said with a smile.
Although Yu Yin didn’t respond, the cat perched on his shoulder lifted its head to glance at a wild apricot tree by the roadside.
Yu Guang noticed the direction of its gaze and added, “The wild apricot tree hasn’t bloomed yet, but it won’t be long now.”
Retracing their steps through familiar places, they descended the mountain from another path.
After a long silence, Yu Guang suddenly asked, “Youngest, are you hungry?”
Yu Yin stopped in his tracks, his first thought being that his brother’s itch to cook had resurfaced, and he was planning to hunt something nearby to prepare breakfast.
But Yu Guang quickly spoke again, his tone calm and measured: “You’ve been growing more restless lately. You must be hungry.”
Yu Yin instantly understood what his brother was referring to.
“Zhuzhou is under your strict management, and there’s not even a single evil spirit left to be found. I haven’t been able to absorb much energy for over a year. Of course, I’ve been starving for a while now,” Yu Yin said, using the cat’s eyes to carefully study Yu Guang’s expression. His voice carried a hint of pitiful pleading.
“I’ve been hungry for so long. Can’t I go somewhere else to ‘eat a little food’?”
“No,” Yu Guang replied firmly.
Yu Yin wasn’t surprised by the answer, nor was he disappointed. He simply let out a light laugh. “Big Brother, you’d better be careful. If you let me starve too long, I might just want to eat you even more.”
Occasionally, as Yu Yin gazed at Yu Guang, he couldn’t help but think that perhaps his brother’s tight control over him, leaving him starving for so long, was the very reason for his growing restlessness—and his growing appetite for Yu Guang.
For demons and spirits, desire and hunger were much the same thing.
“Wait a little longer,” Yu Guang suddenly said.
Hearing the implication in his words, Yu Yin was taken aback. “I thought you’d never agree to let me grow stronger again.”
“If you let me grow unchecked, not even you will be able to suppress me forever.”
Had his obedient behavior over the past few years lulled his big brother into thinking he was completely safe, prompting him to relax his control?
Yu Guang didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, he turned to look at a tree by the roadside adorned with early-blooming wildflowers.
“These flowers are blooming so early,” he remarked, breaking off a branch and handing it to Yu Yin. “Here, take it.”
The bright red mountain flower was suddenly thrust toward him, its faintly sweet fragrance momentarily halting Yu Yin’s train of thought.
He accepted the flower and chuckled softly. “A wildflower won’t be enough to…”
Before he could finish, Yu Guang snapped another branch and handed it to him. “Hold onto this too. Bring it back for Wu Shan. I heard these can be stir-fried and taste pretty good.”
Yu Yin blinked, caught off guard. “…What did you just say?”
Raising the flower, he suddenly smacked his big brother on the head with it.
With a headful of petals, Yu Guang scowled. “You brat, are you itching for a beating?”
And so, the two of them ended up wrestling their way back down the mountain.
…
When Ban Ying saw the grass and leaves clinging to their clothes, she muttered to herself, “Aren’t the rooms next door empty? Why did they have to go outside?”
Wu Shan grinned mischievously. “You don’t get it—it’s more thrilling this way.”
Ban Ying delivered a swift kick to his backside. “Scram!”
Despite Ban Ying worrying over Yu Guang and Yu Yin’s situation for months, the two of them acted as if nothing was happening.
Their ever-responsible big brother hadn’t even brought up the topic of a wedding, leaving Ban Ying increasingly exasperated.
If they were a man and a woman, they’d probably already have a child by now! Yet here they are, dragging their feet.
She even started wondering whether she should directly confront Yu Guang about it.
Then, on a day in late June, Yu Guang summoned everyone together.
Ban Ying thought to herself, ‘Finally! He’s definitely going to announce it now. Good thing I’ve already got everything prepared.’
“In a couple of days, I’ll be taking Mu Yi to Chazhou to handle some matters,” Yu Guang announced. “Wu Jin and Ming Yu, hand over your current tasks to others temporarily and come with me.”
“Ban Ying and Pei Wenjue, you’ll stay in Zhuzhou and oversee the Exorcism Bureau.”
No one had expected this to be the purpose of the meeting. After her initial surprise, Ban Ying turned to look at Yu Yin. “And what about Yu Yin?”
“Youngest is coming with me as well,” Yu Guang replied, his tone indicating the decision had been made long ago.
The brief meeting, handled with Yu Guang’s characteristic efficiency, saw all tasks and roles assigned swiftly.
Most people instinctively followed his orders without question, but those who objected and expressed a desire to join the mission were firmly turned down.
“There’s no need to rush. I’ll need you for later tasks,” Yu Guang reassured them, sparking anticipation among the group.
As for what exactly needed to be done in Chazhou, Yu Guang kept the details vague. Only Shi Bai, who lived with Mu Yi, seemed to have some guesses.
“What did you talk to Yu Guang about recently? Does it have anything to do with his announcement about going to Chazhou today?” Shi Bai asked Mu Yi.
Having spent half a year together, the bond between the former comrades of their past lives had deepened significantly.
Mu Yi didn’t hide the truth. “I asked him to go to Chazhou to save someone.”
This matter had weighed on Mu Yi’s heart since the day he was reborn, and he had been counting down the days ever since.
Over the past six months, Mu Yi had come to trust Yu Guang’s character and abilities, which led him to finally ask for his help.
When Mu Yi had rushed from Chazhou to Zhuzhou at the start of his second life, it had been to find Teacher Wu Jin and Teacher Ming Yu, hoping their strength could help him change the fate of another companion, Du Renchuan.
Because he knew he couldn’t do it alone.
Now that Yu Guang was involved, Mu Yi felt far more confident about the mission.
Unconsciously, Mu Yi had started to trust Yu Guang just as everyone in the Exorcism Bureau did, seeing him as a reliable leader.
He recalled the moment he had sought out Yu Guang, explaining the impending calamity that would occur in the near future.
“If Du Renchuan can be saved, I will let go of the tragedies of my past life and my hatred for the demon Silk Nest. I’ll forget it all.”
Mu Yi was aware of Yu Guang’s bond with Yu Yin and had spoken with a trace of hidden motives.
Yu Guang noticed but didn’t expose him. His piercing, steady gaze remained resolute as he simply said:
“Don’t worry. It will be fine.”
With just those words, Mu Yi felt his tension melt away.
