NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20.2
Chapter 20.2
When the disciples of Chongyun Sect came over to invite everyone into the banquet, they wanted to lead Yan Boshen into the main hall. As for Lin Suci and Zhongli Haiming, they were relegated to the outdoor area in the atrium.
Yan Boshen frowned slightly, looking at Lin SuCi, unable to not worry.
“Don’t worry, I will absolutely…” Before Lin SuCi could finish speaking, Yan Boshen raised his hand and created three spiritual rings around his wrist.
Then he glanced at him coolly.
Lin SuCi swallowed his words back down.
Fine, who asked him to be disobedient just now? He would accept it, accept it.
Shaking the spiritual rings on his arm, he watched as Yan Boshen walked away, still looking unassured. He then took sat down with Zhongli Haiming at their arranged seats.
Around them were also many young disciples. On Lin SuCi’s left was a young girl who could not be out of her teens yet.
When that girl saw Lin SuCi, she covered her lips as she smiled, seeming very friendly.
“I’m a disciple of Luo Yimen, my name is Tang Yinyin. May I know how to address this friend?”
Lin SuCi silently turned his body, revealing Zhongli Haiming next to him.
“We’re from Cardinal Sect. My surname is Zhongli, and this is my junior, his surname is Lin.”
Lin SuCi only gave a smile, expressing his friendliness.
Tang Yinyin exchanged a look with her fellow disciple next to her, then spoke even more gently to Lin SuCi, “This junior seems to be a demon cultivator, and I’ve never seen one before. This junior’s ears are really adorable.”
Hearing this, Lin SuCi silently pulled his tail that had been swaying everywhere back to him.
“Your ears are adorable too.” Lin SuCi returned the praise politely, “Your earrings are very nice too.”
Tang Yinyin touched her earrings shyly. Biting her lip, she was a little embarrassed.
Lin SuCi did not care about so much. As long as she was not going to touch his ears, anything else was fine.
The young girl who was the first to open her mouth was rather shy. Hesitating for quite some time, she only smiled again at Lin SuCi and continued praising him. “The color of this junior’s ears are really very bright, and so furry. They look very sleek and smooth.”
Lin SuCi continued praising her back, “This senior, your hair is very smooth too.”
“Uh…”
The young girl was stuck, and was too embarrassed to go on.
Another young girl next to her leaned over, and openly said, “Little junior, we just think you’re adorable, and would like to touch your ears. Would you allow us to do so?”
Lin SuCi shook his head and answered straightforwardly, “You can’t.”
“Alright,” The girl did not insist. Sitting back with a smile, she poked at the girl next to her. “You can’t touch them. Stop staring, it’s impolite.”
Tang Yinyin blushed with shame.
“Are your ears that attractive?” Zhongli Haiming looked at Lin SuCi’s ears in surprise. He could not help but raise his hand.
Lin SuCi blocked his hand, warning him, “Don’t touch my ears.”
“Even your own senior cannot touch them?” Zhongli Haiming refused to give up, and wanted to press on.
Lin SuCi shook his head. He turned his body to avoid Zhongli Haiming’s sneaky hands, speaking righteously, “My ears can only be touched by Boshen.”
Ears whom the official keeper had yet to touch, how could he let others play with them? Even though Lin SuCi knew that Yan Boshen would not touch his ears, he still dragged his eldest senior out as an excuse.
In the end, he actually did not want anyone to touch them.
Zhongli Haiming’s hand froze. A moment later, he spoke, his tone sounding complicated. “… Eldest Senior and you, your relationship seems really… intimate?”
How could his official keeper not be intimate with him? Lin SuCi was very open about it. “Of course.”
Zhongli Haiming silently took back what he was about to say. He pulled his hand back and was quiet.
All around them were young disciples. Lin SuCi only glanced at them and noticed that none of them were the ones who were playing stones and chatting with them just now. Could they all have high statuses, and were all brought into the main hall?
Puffing his cheeks out, he rested his head between his palms with his elbows on the table. The people around him probably knew each other, and they were whispering non-stop. As for his senior next to him, he was ignoring him. The young girl on his other side was already exchanging paper cranes with another youth across her, and she was smiling shyly.
How boring.
He sighed.
Gold, dazzling fireworks exploded in the sky. Spiritual energy constantly twisted about in the air.
Zhongli Haiming tugged on Lin SuCi’s arm. “Quick, absorb some of the energy. It’s high-level spiritual energy, and it’s very beneficial to us.”
Muddled-headed, Lin SuCi nodded. He shut his eyes and guided the falling spiritual energy around him into his body.
After a while, he opened his eyes to see Zhongli Haiming looking at him with a complex gaze.
“You… Forget it.”
He did not know what Zhongli Haiming was going to say, and Zhongli Haiming also did not say it aloud.
However, although he did not say it, Tang Yinyin who was beside Lin SuCi could not hold herself back. She whispered to Lin SuCi, “Senior, could you restrain yourself, and leave a little for us?”
Didn’t she just addressed him as junior just now? Lin SuCi was a little baffled, “Huh?”
And that girl next to Tang Yinyin tugged at her, whispering, “Don’t say anymore, just forget it.”
Lin SuCi was somewhat perplexed.
Seeing that he seemed to have no idea what had just happened, Zhongli Haiming hesitated. In the end, he still poked his arm and whispered to him very quietly, “You just absorbed all the spiritual energy here.”
Lin SuCi was taken aback. He immediately said, “It wasn’t me, it’s probably these rings Eldest Senior had given me.”
He pointed at them and spoke to Zhongli Haiming, “This will automatically protect me, maybe it will also automatically devour the spiritual energy.”
This explanation made Zhongli Haiming nod, still not fully understanding it. If it had to do with Yan Boshen, he was slightly more convinced, and looked at the brilliant rings around Lin SuCi’s wrist in awe.
“Eldest Senior is so good to you.”
Lin SuCi immediately ignored the topic from before. He quirked his brow, pleased with himself, “I can’t help it. Who let me be his only little darling?”
Zhongli Haiming seemed like he really wanted to take back the words he had just said. “…”
Not long after the banquet started, Lin SuCi was focusing his attention on eating the fried, crispy fish. A voice drifted to his ear.
“Little Senior Uncle.”
He looked up, but he did not see anyone he recognized.
“Little Senior Uncle, it’s me, Wang Lichen.”
Wang Lichen? Lin SuCi paused, the fish still in his mouth. He looked around, and finally, on the path in the garden outside the atrium, he saw a youth dressed in white waving at him.
Lin SuCi looked down and continued eating his fried fish.
“Little Senior Uncle, come over?”
Lin SuCi picked another piece of crispy fish with his chopsticks without giving a response.
There was so much conflict between him and Mysterious Heart Sect. Who knew if Wang Lichen was trying to deceive him into going over, and there would be someone there ready to ambush him by throwing a burlap sack over his head and beating him up?
He had just undergone a suffering by Cui Hong. This time, Lin SuCi had learnt his lesson. Even when Wang Lichen called till his voice turned hoarse, he was indifferent.
Eating till his belly bulged out, only then did Lin SuCi put his chopsticks down and sighed in satisfaction.
“… You’re full now?”
The voice which had been quiet for a long time now rang gloomily in his ear again.
Lin SuCi could not help but admire Wang Lichen’s persistence. He thought about it, and spoke to him telepathically, “What do you want?”
“I have something I’ll like to ask you. Little Senior, could you please come over?” Wang Lichen’s answer came very quickly.
“No.” Lin SuCi rejected him straightforwardly.
After a pause, Wang Lichen replied, “Then I’ll come over to you.”
Lin SuCi was quite curious, exactly what was it that made him so resolute? And he was even coming to look for him, it did not seem like there was any ambush.
He turned his head to Zhongli Haiming. “The son of Mysterious Heart Sect’s leader is coming over.”
Zhongli Haiming rolled his eyes and continued eating. “Him alone? Just let him come. He’s the only one who amounts to anything from Mysterious Heart Sect anyway.”
Towards how he referred to him, Lin SuCi nearly burst out laughing.
So he agreed to Wang Lichen’s approach.
By then, the banquet in the atrium was nearly at its end. Everyone was toasting and drinking, and many people have already left their seats. The place was somewhat chaotic.
Wang Lichen took advantage of this chaos and sneaked over.
“Little Senior Uncle.”
Standing in front of Lin SuCi was Wang Lichen whom he had not seen in a long time. Just as before, he was dressed in the white uniform of Mysterious Heart Sect, with an earnest expression on his face. His eyes, looking at Lin SuCi, had some hidden guilt in them.
Lin SuCi stood up. They headed towards the bushes nearby, somewhat avoiding others.
“Go ahead, why did you keep calling me?”
Wang Lichen hesitated. “… I’ll like to ask Little Senior Uncle. Those words you said in Mysterious Heart Sect then, were they true?”
Lin SinCu was still wondering what Wang Lichen was going to say. Unexpectedly, he was still struggling over what happened a few months ago.
Mysterious Heart Sect really was nothing good. However, in the case of Wang Lichen, he really had not done anything bad ever since he met him.
Lin SuCi looked at him solemnly. “They’re all true. That sixth one, he was plotting against you, plotting against our sect, and wanted my senior to work for them. They even said something about the ceremony, and about getting the first place?”
Wang Lichen bit his lip and whispered, “After the tournament, we’ll hold a grand ceremony for the disciples. The ones who managed to achieve a good rank in the secret realm will also receive great rewards during the ceremony. Top disciples would get 10000 spiritual gems, a spiritual container, 3 months of resources and first pick of missions.”
Lin SuCi clapped his hands together, his eyes sparkling. “How amazing! So rich, so rich!”
Wang Lichen’s mind was somewhere else. “… So it’s true.”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t believe it?” Lin SuCi raised his brow.
Wang Lichen was silent for a moment. “… The Sixth Senior I know is not someone like this.”
“Little Junior Nephew.” Lin SuCi had a compassionate expression, “Today, as your Senior Uncle, I’ll teach you something about life. One may know a man’s face, but it’s difficult to know his heart.”
He patted Wang Lichen’s shoulder, exclaiming, “You’re still young, you have a long way to go.”
Wang Lichen was in low spirits, but he could not help and objected, “Little Senior Uncle, you’re only a few months old. You haven’t even reached your first birthday, why are you teaching me about life?”
Lin SuCi looked frank, “Was I right with what I said?”
Wang Lichen who just had a bit of an imposing manner hunched over immediately. “… You were right.”
“Enough, if you’re done asking, you should quickly leave.” Lin SuCi waved his hands, preparing to return to his seat.
“Little Senior Uncle.”
Wang Lichen suddenly lowered his voice. “If you’re going to the secret realm, be careful of the spiritual cover.”
He quietly left after saying that.
Lin SuCi did not understand.
Spiritual cover…
When he returned, the banquet was over. Disciples of various sects were talking loudly, chattering and shouting.
Lin SuCi stretched his neck and waited for a moment, and then he saw Yan Boshen.
In a silverish-grey robe, his sleeves billowing in the wind, Yan Boshen was standing next to a white-haired old man and cupped his hands slightly towards him.
He walked over, his tall figure standing out in the crowd, and was the focus of almost the entire crowd. Next to Lin SuCi were a few girls, and they all stood there with a blushing face, quietly enquiring about his origins.
“Come here.”
Yan Boshen was a few steps away from Lin SuCi when he stopped. He then raised his chin slightly at him.
Lin SuCi bounced over and tugged at his sleeve, smiling brightly. “Boshen Boshen, you’re so good-looking! When you walked over, I thought I saw an immortal!”
Lin SuCi spared no effort in complimenting his eldest senior. His eyes were fixed on him, and his hands itched, yearning to touch him again.
With a glance, Yan Boshen could read the restless heart of the kitten. With offense being the best defense, he wrapped Lin SuCi’s hand within his own palm.
Zhongli Haiming who was one step behind got to see the image of his eldest senior and little junior holding hands tightly together.
Zhongli Haiming’s “Eldest Senior” was stuck in his throat, unable to come out.
When the three of them were back together, the first thing Yan Boshen did was to ask Zhongli Haiming, “Did he run around?”
Zhongli Haiming thought about it. He was next to Lin SuCi and Wang Lichen when they were talking, so it did not count. As such, he shook his head. “No, he was eating the entire time.”
Lin SuCi proudly pointed at his seat. On the table, the pile of fishbones was nearly the size of a mountain.
Seeing this, Yan Boshen knew he definitely did not have the time to run around.
“As for Cui Hong,” Yan Boshen spoke. “Bring her out. Sect Leader Zhao will bring her back to Southern Shuge.”
Zhongli Haiming took the initiative in handling this errand. He patted his chest, “Yes!”
Left behind, Lin SuCi brought Yan Boshen and sat on the long bench where he had been playing with others earlier. In his eyes was curiosity, “Boshen Boshen, why did the sect leader of Chongyun called you out alone?”
Yan Boshen replied indifferently, “To discuss the secret realm.”
“Secret realm…” Lin SuCi muttered, then immediately said, “Wang Lichen came looking for me just now.”
He repeated what Wang Lichen had said, a little puzzled. “He asked me to be careful of the spiritual cover, what does that mean?”
Yan Boshen’s face darkened, and his hand that was holding onto Lin SuCi tightened slightly.
“Oww!” Lin SuCi twisted his hand, pulling it away from Yan Boshen, and looked at him in surprise.
Yan Boshen’s lips tightened, his voice icy. “The spiritual cover is to be used specifically against you.”
“Specifically against me…” Lin SuCi pointed at himself, delighted. “I actually hold such an important position!”
Yan Boshen was speechless. This kitten’s ability at grasping the keypoint was always so amazing.
Soon, Sect Leader Zhao invited Yan Boshen and Lin SuCi into the inner hall.
The tables and chairs for the banquet had already been packed away. Zhongli Haiming was there with the tied-up Cui Hong, and was narrating the whole incident to Sect Leader Zhao.
When Yan Boshen and Lin SuCi stepped across the threshold, Cui Hong shrank very obviously. Her bones looked like they were about to deform, and the spiritual rings around her seemed to tighten after noticing that their master was present.
“Sect Leader Zhao.”
Yan Boshen brought Lin SuCi along and cupped his hands at the old man.
Lin SuCi copied his actions.
Sect Leader Zhao’s expression was not very good. “There’s actually such a shameless person on my Chongyun Sect’s territory! Southern Shuge is completely not giving me any face at all.”
Cui Hong whimpered, but was unable to say a word.
“Are the people from Southern Shuge here yet?”
Coming in was a disciple of Chongyun. He ran over in a hurry, cupping his hands at Sect Leader Zhao. “Sect Leader! The disciples from Southern Shuge have led some younger disciples and trespassed into the forbidden area, disturbing the beast! Now, Li Wen is awake, and it’s on a murderous rampage!”
Sect Leader Zhao’s face changed. “What?!”
Lin SuCi’s jaw dropped, amazed by these youths.
This was the first time he had seen people sought death so eagerly.
“How do you know they’re disciples from Southern Shuge?” Sect Leader Zhao frowned.
The disciple was anxious. “Because I stopped them, but the Southern Shuge disciples acted tyrannically. They tore a crack open in the seal and tossed their sect’s disciple, someone called Bai Qingkong, in it!”
Bai Qingkong?!
Lin SuCi’s mouth opened wider, and his green eyes narrowed into lines.
In a twinkling of an eye, Yan Boshen shot a sharp look at Lin SuCi.
Chills suddenly ran down Lin SuCi’s spine.
He looked up, and their eyes met. Lin SuCi suddenly had an indescribable guilt welling up within him.
“… Bai—Qing—Kong.”
Yan Boshen’s deep voice pronounced this name slowly, every word crisp and clear. The corner of his lips curved a little, and towards Lin SuCi who clearly looked nervous after hearing the name, he asked, “Do you want to go see him?”