Arc 5: Chapter 37
After the Constellation Grand Festival, Xie Hanzhou handed over all of Pure Jade Palace’s matters to Master Danyang, letting him be the temporary sect master.
Daoist Danyan looked at Xie Hanzhou in confusion and asked: “Hanzhou, what exactly are you trying to do? You used to seclude yourself on Ancient Grove Peak and refuse to leave, and then suddenly roamed outside for a few years with no date of return. Now you’ve just come back, yet you’re leaving again?”
Daoist Danyang stroked his long bread: “You’ve always been much smarter than me. Our Master entrusted Pure Jade Palace to you, the Sect Master can only be you.”
Xie Hanzhou back was as straight as a pine tree, and his hands clasped behind his back. He said emotionlessly: “Senior Brother, as the Sect Master, my decision to leave Pure Jade Palace to you is my order. As a peak lord, all you need to do is obey.”
Daoist Danyang was slightly taken aback. His junior brother seemed different somehow, but if you had to ask, he couldn’t put his finger on exactly where he was different.
Daoist Danyang got over his confusion and replied calmly: “Danyang naturally complies. I can temporarily take charge for five to ten years, but beyond that, I fear I lack the ability to continue.”
Xie Hanzhou understood his senior brother’s meaning. He gently lifted his arm, and the mountain wind atop Ancient Grove Peak blew into a hissing gale, and snow began to fall like curtains. His black hair was dusted with white, as if thousands of years had passed in a single breath.
“Senior Brother, I’ll be honest with you. The poet Liu Yong said, ‘a good dream in a clear night’, but since I’ve entered Pure Jade Palace, I haven’t had a single good dream. Day after day, even if the scenery atop Ancient Grove Peak is more breathtaking than all of the mortal world, there’s no such blessing in my nightmares.” t/n "a good dream in a clear night" is a travel poem that expresses the author's boredom with his life as an official and his yearning for a free and happy life. (source)
“Now, I am stricken by love.” The corners of Xie Hanzhou’s lips raised slightly, and his eyes were incredibly gentle. In the midst of the snow-covered world, his eyes carried the warmth of spring’s embrace.
“Love may reduce me to a mere ordinary mortal man, but I am willing.”
Xie Hanzhou turned to Daoist Danyang, and seemed to smile: “Senior Brother, I will never forget the Great Dao, and I will always hold the lives of all beings above all else. If necessary, I will die for them, but I don’t wish to live for them. I want to live for myself.”
When Daoist Danyang saw Xie Hanzhou like this, he felt both familiar and strange.
Xie Hanzhou looked past him, into the distance, in the direction where the southern flowers bloomed. He finished saying lightly: “From now on, I’ll trouble you to manage Pure Jade Palace. I’m going to be an ordinary man.”
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Three days later, a man dressed in white robes walked through the bustling crowd in a southern city.
His features were extremely handsome. Fair skin and long, narrow phoenix eyes, his entire being exuded the grace of lofty mountains and flowing water, yet at the same time, his aura seemed as deep as an abyss and as vast as the open sea.
The man walked past various shops and restaurants and bought what he needed, then he disappeared in the crowd of people, unnoticed by anyone else.
Outside the city, there were ten acres of peach forest, and in its depths stood a grand jade pavilion house.
Xie Hanzhou walked into the garden and saw Yu Sui’an hugging his little disciple from behind. At first glance, they were just planting flowers, but looking closely, it was more like they were flirting with each other.
Yu Sui’an hugged the little liar’s thin waist and kissed the back of his slender neck. He bit down a little heavily, leaving teeth marks.
“Sui Sui, I want to kiss…”
Lin Yuan was used to Yu Sui’an’s clinginess. Maybe he spoiled his second husband a little too much, making it so that Yu Sui’an would cling to him regardless of where they were at all, but when he remembered how pitiful his second husband used to be, his heart would soften. A kiss was not much.
The young man turned and cupped the man’s cheek and said softly: “Okay, you can kiss…”
Yu Sui’an turned a blind eye to Xie Hanzhou and kissed Lin Yuan until he couldn’t breathe.
Lin Yuan opened his eyes and finally saw Xie Hanzhou. He looked at the man with moist eyes and his soft red lips were slightly swollen. He called a little shakily: “Master…”
Xie Hanzhou picked him up and carried him onto a stone table.
“Does it hurt?” Xie Hanzhou asked caringly and caressed his little apprentice’s hot cheeks. His fingers were cold, and Lin Yuan grabbed his hand tightly and rubbed against it comfortably.
“Uncomfortable…” Lin Yuan hummed softly.
“Master, it’s uncomfortable here…” Lin Yuan’s voice was aggrieved, as if he was asking to be spoiled.
Xie Hanzhou whispered lowly: “Sui Sui, call me husband and it won’t feel uncomfortable anymore…”
Lin Yuan blinked his round eyes and blushed. He twisted awkwardly and said: “Master… we’re still outside…”
Xie Hanzhou’s hand traveled down to Lin Yuan’s lower back, and his caresses alternated between light and heavy, skillfully tormenting his little apprentice: “There’s only us here, Sui Sui, be good, call me husband…”
Lin Yuan felt as if his entire body was burning, and his brain could no longer think straight. Finally, he couldn’t say anything except for calling out ‘husband’ repeatedly.
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Although Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an couldn’t wait to be stuck to Lin Yuan’s side every day, they never went too far. They were waiting for the day of marriage.
On that day, the three of them finished setting up all of the wedding decorations in their house.
Their wedding robes were red and black in color, both luxurious and extravagant. Yu Sui’an usually wore red clothes, yet after putting on the wedding robe, he looked even more dazzling and attractive.
Xie Hanzhou usually wore white, so wearing bright colors was an even bigger contrast. Instead of his usual indifference and coldness, his beauty became intoxicating, capable of shaking one's soul.
The three of them followed the southern wedding customs. They bowed to heaven and earth, and let the sun, moon, mountains and rivers witness their oath. After completing the ceremonial bows, they entered the bridal chamber, drank from the nuptial cup, and performed the hair-binding ritual.
Every step was done with seriousness and sincerity. After completing their wedding ceremony, Xie Hanzhou held Lin Yuan’s hand with a smile that seemed fascinate Lin Yuan: “Sui Sui, now that our wedding is done, what should you call me now?”
Lin Yuan looked at Xie Hanzhou and called out shyly: “Husband!”
Then being fair, he turned to Yu Sui’an and also called: “Husband!”
In front of Xie Hanzhou, Lin Yuan unknowingly courted disaster. Without hesitation, Xie Hanzhou captured the soft lips that made him love and angry, kissing Lin Yuan deeply, as if he wanted to swallow him whole.
To Lin Yuan who was ignorant about the arrangement between Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an, his wedding night seemed very, very long. He whimpered and cried for over an hour and was so exhausted he could barely keep his eyes open.
He only rested for an hour before he was awoken by Xie Hanzhou, who insisted they needed to dual cultivate more in order to break through to the next realm as soon as possible.
Lin Yuan: “…” Fine. All of his efforts up until now shouldn’t go to waste.
Yu Sui’an fed him a spoonful of porridge, one bite at a time. He smiled more beautifully than usual, and Lin Yuan was so fascinated he accepted his feeding in a daze.
Later, Lin Yuan understood the saying that rice shouldn’t be eaten indiscriminately. They just wanted to fatten him up to eat him again.
This cycle repeated again and again.
As Xie Hanzhou predicted, at the end of this very long wedding night, Lin Yuan was only a hair away from breaking through.
In the next month, they dual cultivated every night. Lin Yuan was led by the two top experts of the immortal and demon realm and smoothly reached the initial stage of the Heavenly Realm.
After breaking through, Lin Yuan’s days were even more fulfilling. He studied and practiced swordsmanship during the day and dual cultivated at night. He also learned about the agreement between Xie Hanzhou and Yu Suian, which made him feel a little sorry for his master.
From then on, at night, Lin Yuan always made sure to kiss Xie Hanzhou first, or use his legs to help him.
Yu Sui’an scolded Xie Hanzhou for being a dog in his heart. There was no one else as calculated and despicable as him across the three realms.
When it was his turn, Yu Sui’an also pestered Lin Yuan to kiss him.
In this way, they spent the next three years together.
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One morning, Lin Yuan and Xie Hanzhou sat side by side and copied scriptures while Yu Sui’an played the zither.
In the middle of the song, a cold wind from the north arrived with a letter from Pure Jade Palace.
Xie Hanzhou read the jade slip and raised his eyebrows slightly.
Lin Yuan put down his brush and asked worriedly: “Master, is something wrong?”
Lin Yuan was still more used to calling him Master outside the bed.
“My Senior Brother said there were some strange movements in the demon clan recently, and asked me to go back to Pure Jade Palace.” Xie Hanzhou said and handed the slip to Lin Yuan.
Lin Yuan looked at Yu Sui’an in confusion.
Yu Sui’an had confessed his Demon Lord identity not long after they got married. He was sure that even after Lin Yuan knew that he was the Demon Lord, their feelings would not change, and he was right. Sui Sui wasn’t fearful or disappointed, and was actually even more close to him that night.
Yu Sui’an’s fingers didn’t leave the strings, and the melody of the zither continued. He analyzed: “I haven’t returned to the Grand Bright Hall for many years. Separated by so much distance, I’m afraid the rulers of some demon cities are emboldened to become the new Demon Lord.”
Lin Yuan listened, but he had a sinking feeling that it should be the next plot point. Chu Yao had discovered that Xie Hanzhou and Yu Sui’an were one soul, and was going to force Xie Hanzhou to die.
“Then what should we do?” Lin Yuan asked.
Xie Hanzhou held a strand of Lin Yuan’s hair and kissed it gently: “Go back to Pure Jade Palace. This will be the last time.”
Yu Sui’an smiled and said: “After this, the wind and snow in the north will stop completely.”
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The day after the three of them arrived at Pure Jade Palace, the heads of all of the other immortal sects surrounded the sect.
In Pure Jade Grand Hall, the moment after the immortal sect masters saluted in greeting, the patriarch of the Heaven Abyss Sword Sect drew his sword and pointed it at Yu Sui’an.
He said solemnly: “Demon Lord, I heard that the Grand Bright Hall has been without a master for many years. Who knew that the Demon Lord had the hobby of pretending to be a Pure Jade Palace disciple.”