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Arc 5: Chapter 19 

After a sleepless night, Xie Hanzhou saw the sun rise from the horizon. He grabbed the pale arm that was wrapped around his neck and gently removed it. 

He also carefully tucked the blanket back snugly, making sure to not let even the slightest chill in. Xue Hanzhou looked at the sleeping youth, and his deep, dark eyes that held a frozen wasteland showed the signs of an unnoticed flower blooming in their depths. 

Lin Yuan breathed smoothly with his left cheek buried in the pillow. 

As Xie Hanzhou looked at him, memories of their intimacy and sweet entanglements surged like a storm. The roots of his ears reddened slightly, and his long lashes trembled slightly.

He remembered how the youth’s lips were incredibly soft, seemingly even more tender and sweet than the glutinous rice balls that he had been given a few days before. 

And Lin Yuan’s smooth, warm tongue. Xie Hanzhou didn’t expect that when it was in his mouth, entwining and teasing, the sensation would be so exquisite and addictive.

He remembered how at the end of the night, Lin Yuan had run out of strength. The youth’s lips and tongue grew weak and his entire body lay softly underneath Xie Hanzhou, like a puddle of water.

Teary, round eyes stared at him dazedly, and his slender fingers curled out of lingering bliss. Xie Hanzhou even remembered the color of the flush at the corners of his eyes.

Xie Hanzhou’s heartbeat began to beat faster. He reached out and brushed away a stray strand of hair from the youth’s cheek, and a sigh of helplessness sounded in his heart. It seemed that all the Clearing Heart Sutras his little disciple copied over the past months had been for naught. 

That boiling, restless heat… truly, the vigor of youth, Xie Hanzhou thought quietly.

The first morning light began to seep through the window, casting fragmented, hazy shadows throughout the room.

Xie Hanzhou glanced outside and knew that he couldn’t stay any longer. He straightened Lin Yuan’s blanket one last time, and his eyes swept slowly over the boy’s features—past his brows, his eyes, and his swollen lips.

Unknowingly, a soft, ticklish warmth rippled through Xie Hanzhou’s chest.

Lin Yuan…

He took out a brocade box from his storage ring, placed something inside, and set it by Lin Yuan’s pillow. His voice was low and slightly hoarse as he whispered: “Consider this your New Year’s gift, and also this red envelope.”

Of course, the sleeping youth didn't respond. Xie Hanzhou couldn’t help but feel something was still missing. He leaned down and braced himself on the edge of the bed and quietly observed the little disciple for a moment.

When he thought back to what his little disciple had done, the flawlessly handsome man hesitated for a moment and then tentatively pressed his lips to the corner of the boy’s eye. Lin Yuan's skin was a little warm, maybe from the tears his little disciple had shed the night before.

Delicate and slightly swollen thin lips slowly moved downward and kissed past the youth’s face. When they came to the corners of the boy’s lips, Xie Hanzhou paused. In the end, he still pinched Lin Yuan’s chin and kissed him gently. 

Xie Hanzhou rubbed their lips together softly, and after a long time, he somewhat skillfully deepened the kiss, entering that warm, moist mouth. Only after a moment of intimacy did he reluctantly pull away.

“Master… will go first.”

Shortly after Xie Hanzhou left, one of the disciples living in the same courtyard as Lin Yuan energetically came to knock on his door and shouted: “Lin Yuan? Are you up yet? We need to head to Pure Jade Peak soon to pay our respects to Master and all the other elders. Get up quickly! Stop sleeping!”

521 appeared on the brocade box that was left by Xie Hanzhou and poked Lin Yuan’s face with its wing: “Senior! It’s already 7:10! Time to get up!!”

Lin Yuan was so tired that his mind felt hazy and muddle-headed. Hearing his classmates’ loud voice, he was too lazy to respond and wanted to continue to sleep, but in front of 521, he couldn’t continue to sleep anymore.

Lin Yuan groaned loudly and shrunk back into the quilt. Suddenly, the familiar cedar-wood scent on his blanket made him freeze, and his groggy mind suddenly woke up.

Was he mistaken?

Lin Yuan sniffed around more carefully, but the scent was still there. On the cozy blanket, the once-cold, refreshing woody aroma seemed to have mellowed out and was now blended with a gentle warmth.

As the lingering cedar-wood fragrance surrounded him, memories of last night replayed in his mind like an old movie.

Last night, he had actually hugged Xie Hanzhou, brushed his fingers across the other’s face, pulled Xie Hanzhou down onto the bed, and kissed him deeply. 

Lin Yuan remembered how he had taken Xie Hanzhou’s elegant, long hand and…made that hand dirty…

“Ahhhhhh!” Lin Yuan let out a muffled scream.

521 had expected Lin Yuan to react like this. It squeezed into the blanket and said into Lin Yuan’s ear: “Senior, stop shouting. Your first husband left you something before he left!”

Lin Yuan questioned: “First husband?”

521 nodded: “Yup, because he’s the first version. It’s too confusing now that you have two husbands, just call them first husband and second husband!”

Indeed... what 521 said made some sense.

Anyways, Lin Yuan thought of something more important and flushed. His heart jumped like a little rabbit, thumping wildly. 

He asked softly: “... He… just left this morning?”

521 nodded: “Yes, yes, he left in the morning.”

Lin Yuan was both overwhelmed by what happened last night, and also trying to hold back giddy screams. He curled himself into a ball under the blanket and played dead. After ten or so minutes, he slowly poked his head out and asked shyly: “What… what did he leave for me?”

“No idea,” 521 said bluntly: “Senior, go look for yourself!”

It flew over the square brocade box that was etched with delicate patterns of pine, bamboo, and clouds. 

Lin Yuan took the box in his hands and hesitated for a moment before opening the lid. The first thing that caught his eye was a bright red envelope.

“What’s this?” Lin Yuan took it out and opened it and saw a silver banknote inside. The amount written on it left him stunned.

He said very sincerely: “My first husband is quite rich.”

In the box, there was still another item, which was the real gift. It was a bracelet of white jade beads. The jade was flawless, warm, and smooth, being clearly the finest mutton-fat jade. The bracelet was also decorated with moon-white tassels.

The bracelet emitted a strong spiritual aura that could be felt even to someone of mid-tier cultivation, like Lin Yuan. This jade bead bracelet was definitely a rare spiritual treasure.

Lin Yuan held the money in his left hand and the bracelet in his right, looking back and forth. He commented to 521: “521, this money and this bracelet… isn’t it like Master’s payment for staying the night? But in reality, it was more like I kept Master for the night...”

521: “......” Senior, this single, fluff ball didn’t want to know that!

Lin Yuan was not pretentious. Since his first husband gave him these gifts, of course he would accept them. He tucked away the money and slid the bracelet onto his right wrist, admiring how its moon-white tassels swayed gently in the air.

Getting out of bed, Lin Yuan really wanted to go take a shower. After what he did last night, there was still a smell on his body, but he didn’t have enough time and could only wipe himself quickly. 

He changed into a clean Daoist robe and joined the other disciples in heading toward Pure Jade Peak. 

On the first day of the new year, all the disciples got ready to pay their respects to the sect leader and the various peak masters. Afterwards, they would go to the main hall for the New Year’s ceremony.

Lin Yuan arrived on time and waited in Pure Jade Grand Hall until the rest of the disciples gathered. All of the disciples stood according to their seniority.

When the auspicious hour arrived, the clear sound of a bell reverberated throughout the hall. Xie Hanzhou, clad in snow-white robes, emerged from the back.

His long black hair cascaded down like silk, and his features were graceful and eye-catching. Today, he seemed even more otherworldly than usual. His elegance paralleled mountains and rivers, the earth and the sky. His aura was like fleeting clouds, transparent yet elusive, seeming like the moon but not as unreachable.

Following behind him was Daoist Danyang, his long beard swaying with each step.

After all of the peak masters of Pure Jade Palace took their seats, the disciples knelt and bowed in respect.

Xie Hanzhou’s gaze lingered on a certain little disciple, and noticed the white jade bracelet on Lin Yuan’s right wrist. For a short moment, his cold, indifferent eyes seemed to flash with something different.

Daoist Danyang had watched Xie Hanzhou grow up, and happened to notice this subtle change. On their way to the main hall, he remarked curiously: “Junior Brother Hanzhou, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

Xie Hanzhou stayed silent and became absentminded. His Daoist heart in no way could be described as good. It was unsettled and conflicted, but despite this, a quiet warmth had started to flow through him like a gentle stream.

When they were about to enter the main hall, Daoist Danyang thought he wouldn’t get any response, but surprisingly, Xie Hanzhou admitted quietly: “Yes.”

He was a little happy.

The New Year’s ceremony involved worshiping heaven and earth and paying respects to the ancestors of the sect. After a long period of rituals, it took another two hours for the ceremony to end.

Lin Yuan was about to go to the dining hall along with everyone else, but just as he walked out the door, he was approached by Molian.

Molian called out: “Junior brother Lin.”

Lin Yuan could guess the reason why Molian called him. He fidgeted awkwardly in place and said a little nervously: “...Senior brother.”

Molian smiled and said: “Come with me.”

Lin Yuan entered the cold chamber atop Ancient Grove Peak, and saw that Xie Hanzhou wasn’t seated at his desk as usual, but behind a semi-transparent gauze screen.

The man’s figure was faintly visible, standing tall and upright like a snow-covered pine in the mountains or a stalk of bamboo growing out of frost. He seemed to be looking at Lin Yuan from beyond the screen. With a light voice, he said: “Come in.”

Lin Yuan had never felt this nervous before. When he walked over, he almost tripped over flat ground, but luckily he was agile and steadied himself.

Xie Hanzhou watched his little disciple move clumsily, and remembered how bold and audacious Lin Yuan had been last night. He raised his eyebrows slightly.

Lin Yuan nervously walked over to Xie Hanzhou and saluted. “M-Master…”

Xie Hanzhou gave a hum of acknowledgement and sat down. He looked up at Lin Yuan. “Sit.”

Lin Yuan hesitated awkwardly, and didn't know if he should say anything about last night or not. Lin Yuan was just about to speak, when the man’s cold and low voice rang out again: “Last night, you weren’t like this, you dared to do anything, remember?”

“!!!”

Hearing this, Lin Yuan felt his legs go weak, and almost knelt down directly in front of Xie Hanzhou. Was his master angry, or not angry? Lin Yuan couldn’t tell. He stammered: “…I remember… Your disciple remembers…”

Xie Hanzhou narrowed his eyes slightly, stood up, and walked over to Lin Yuan. He was still expressionless: “Since you remember, why do you hesitate to sit when Master asks you to? Or do you wish to pretend that last night never happened?”

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