Chapter 73

"Wuhuan, I like you."

"Wuhuan, I like you."

"Wuhuan, I like you."

Song Qingshi despised his own inability to craft romantic or poetic words. At such a crucial moment for expressing his feelings, he was repeating himself like a broken record. In another world, where information bombarded people from all sides, he would have been rightfully dumped a hundred times over by any goddess or god for such a dull proposal.

Listening to words he'd never dared to imagine even in his dreams, Yue Wuhuan once again saw the blissful scenes from his illusion, appearing before his eyes.

The young man had once told him those words amidst a rain of petals as he practiced his swordsmanship.

The young man had once spoken those words in the backyard kitchen while they cooked together.

The young man had once said them in the mysterious, demon-infested caverns where they adventured together.

The young man had lain beneath him and repeated those words over and over again.

His clear eyes were filled entirely with his image.

Only he...

Just who was the young man before him? Was it the potion-making youth secluded in the deep mountains? Or the celestial sovereign of the Valley of Medicine?

They were both Song Qingshi, both the ones he loved...

The line between illusion and reality blurred, whirling repetitively in his mind. The chains around his emotions gradually loosened. He no longer wished to control this intoxicating sweetness. How he yearned to drown in this moment, to eternally preserve this wondrous sensation.

But Song Qingshi held him tightly around the waist, preventing him from sinking further, from dying...

Yue Wuhuan's breath became erratic. With both hands, he pressed against his face. The sweet words acted like sharp blades, slicing open his heart, revealing the madness and obsession hidden within, making it impossible to conceal his true self any longer.

Song Qingshi persevered, "Wuhuan, I like you."

A restrained, frightening laughter seeped through the gaps between Yue Wuhuan's fingers.

Slowly lifting his head, he fixed his eyes intently on the person before him, drawing closer until he stopped just inches from his lips. Panting, he said, "Qingshi, I'm not as good as you think. Everyone says I'm insane."

Song Qingshi ceased his declarations of love and responded, "I know."

"You don't know," Yue Wuhuan's voice grew increasingly disordered, "Because even I don't understand why my feelings are different from others. I want to monopolize you, to imprison you in the Valley of Medicine and cut you off from the world. I wish everything and everyone would bend to my will. I want to destroy everything I dislike and reshape the world according to my own desires... Qingluan said it's wrong; everyone tells me I'm wrong. But I don't feel it; perhaps I really am insane. Qingshi, you can't form a spiritual bond with a madman. I might hurt you without even realizing it..."

Song Qingshi calmly said, "You're not mad; you're just unwell."

"Unwell?" Yue Wuhuan paused. He considered it for a moment before frantically rejecting the notion, "No, I'm not sick. I feel fine; whether it's cultivation or dealing with things, I handle everything well..."

Gently placing his palm on Yue Wuhuan's chest, Song Qingshi tenderly said, "Wuhuan, your heart is sick."

Yue Wuhuan laid his hand over Song Qingshi's, lowering his head to ask, "My heart?"

His heartbeat quickened, his body warmed, as if calling out for something.

Song Qingshi looked up and asked, "Does it hurt every day?"

After a long pause, Yue Wuhuan finally nodded, "Yes."

Song Qingshi pulled him into his arms, gently patting his back, murmuring words of comfort, "Don't be afraid. I'll share the pain with you."

In this tender embrace, Yue Wuhuan finally let down all his guards, revealing his vulnerabilities and agonies, and whimpered, "Qingshi, I will diligently seek treatment—be it medication or acupuncture, I'll be obedient... Please, don't give up on me, alright?"

The threads holding his sanity together were as fragile as spider silk, perpetually at risk of snapping and unraveling completely.

He needed a new pillar, something to lean on, something to keep him going.

Without hesitation, Song Qingshi declared, "I will never give up."

Yue Wuhuan softly asked, "What should I do?"

"Treatment will require multiple attempts; there may be failures, pain, and despair," Song Qingshi cupped Yue Wuhuan's face, gazing deeply into his eyes as he implored, "Under any circumstance, please don't give up. Just hold on—even in dire situations, fortune will eventually find you."

Yue Wuhuan inquired, "Fortune?"

His thoughts drifted back to the Blood King Vine, and the fortuitous opportunities he'd encountered at the Indestructible Summit.

Sensing the atmosphere shift, Song Qingshi realized he shouldn't say more.

He had faith in Yue Wuhuan's intelligence; when the time came, he would understand.

　...

Song Qingshi was elated; the one he loved had finally accepted his marriage proposal.

Later, Yue Wuhuan was incredibly conflicted. He had a dominant personality and felt that he should have been the one to propose. Song Qingshi seemed gentle but was incredibly stubborn, especially when fixated on something. Plus, he felt that Song Qingshi had some peculiar views on relationships between men, especially after some probing questions during their intimate moments.

Song Qingshi snapped back to reality, took a deep breath, and spent some time attempting to help Yue Wuhuan grasp the current situation.

He knew what "Boys' Love" entailed: the dominant one is the 'seme,' the beautiful one is the 'uke,' and the seme is responsible for doting on the uke.

The narratives in their cultivation world held the same notion: the strong should cherish the weak.

He, a powerful cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage, was certainly a dominant figure! Yue Wuhuan was breathtakingly beautiful, peerless under heaven! Song Qingshi, who led a simple life, disliked extravagant attire, was reliable and enjoyed taking care of others, was naturally the 'seme.' Yue Wuhuan, flamboyant and stylish, with various health issues requiring careful attention, was obviously the 'uke.'

Although there were some differences between their actions and the traditional scripts, primarily because Song Qingshi took the receptive role out of compassion for Yue Wuhuan's emotional scars, he still made every effort to pamper Yue Wuhuan and bring him joy.

Song Qingshi considered himself a good 'seme' (dominant partner).

Yue Wuhuan quickly realized where the misunderstanding lay. He wanted to correct it, but upon seeing the marks on Song Qingshi's body and his endearing expression, he swallowed his words. After all, he had his fair share of gains in their intimacy and decided to preserve Song Qingshi's self-esteem.

The two harmoniously settled on their 'seme' and 'uke' (dominant and submissive) roles.

Yue Wuhuan no longer resisted medication and treatments, reverting to his cooperative demeanor when he had first arrived at the valley.

Song Qingshi found it much easier to treat him now. He experimented daily with various concoctions to stabilize emotions and aid sleep. He noticed that Yue Wuhuan's nightmares dramatically reduced once he had a healthy outlet for his desires. Unable to find any medical references for this, he attributed it to a form of behavioral therapy.

Anything that had a therapeutic effect on Yue Wuhuan, he would tirelessly implement, including daily intimate encounters.

He approached the matter with an open, unclouded mindset, treating it as a normal physiological need.

Influenced by his straightforward attitude, Yue Wuhuan's mental burdens lessened, leading him to be more uninhibited and increasingly adventurous.

Song Qingshi found this development quite agreeable.

Yue Wuhuan helped concoct a plethora of cultivation pills and potent analgesics. Unwilling to see Song Qingshi endure daily agony from his damaged Nascent Soul, he suggested that Song destroy it preemptively. He had already guarded the valley while Song was unconscious and was proficient in crafting elixirs and deploying protective mechanisms. He could handle everything, allowing Song to focus on reconstructing his Golden Core.

"You can go into seclusion," Yue Wuhuan suggested, "I can manage things on my own."

Song Qingshi chuckled, "There's no rush; there are many matters to address."

Yue Wuhuan insisted, "I can handle them."

"No need to rush," Song Qingshi pondered before asking, "Wuhuan, could you make me more poison puppets? Add all the potent poisons and mechanisms you can; the more potent, the better. I also want defensive, offensive, and sealing talismanic arrays. Additionally, I'd like a batch of ordinary Black Death Butterflies— the more, the better. I also plan to custom-order a new robe from Tiangong Pavilion; money is no issue. It should be top-tier to compensate for my close-range combat weaknesses."

Yue Wuhuan hesitated.

Song Qingshi quickly clarified, "I don't want to be bullied."

Though his cultivation level had plummeted to the early stages of Nascent Soul, the power dynamics in the cultivation world were not solely determined by cultivation levels. Otherwise, there'd be no need for battles—simply disclose your level and the higher one wins. He had been out and about since his Foundation Building stage, facing countless dangers. If he solely relied on his cultivation level for survival, he would have died a hundred times over.

Being an independent cultivator, he had no restrictions. He dabbled in all kinds of odd and arcane techniques, as well as deadly poisons and magical arrays.

Every potent poison in "The Nie Family's Book of Poisons" had been thoroughly researched by him, and he was proficient in all types of magical arrays.

Who developed the Poison Puppets? Who designed the Poison Mist Array?

Armed to the teeth, who would dare to cross him?

Yue Wuhuan thought for a moment and understood: "Bihai Tower recently sold a rare piece of Spirit-Disguising Moonlit Robe. I'll spare no expense to acquire it and then send it for modifications at Tiangong Pavilion. If there are other suitable magical artifacts, I'll get those for you too. Additionally, I'll request Night Rain Pavilion to send me a batch of unclaimed corpses to create Poison Puppets. As for the talisman arrays, let's have the Red Dragon Sect expedite the production. Yan Yuan Immortal owes the Medicine King Valley a favor; it's time to collect. I also have a stockpile of Black Death Butterflies; I'll send them to you later."

Song Qingshi was utterly pleased.

He patted his chest and promised: "I'll craft the new Black Death Butterflies and present them to you as an engagement gift!"

Yue Wuhuan hesitated for a moment, apprehensively pulling out a necklace imbued with Phoenix Blood. He had already completed the soul-binding array on the necklace, intending to secretly lock it around Song Qingshi's neck, making him eternally his. Now, confronting his own emotional issues, he questioned if this was an unhealthy act and hesitated to proceed.

He decided to ask Song Qingshi's opinion: "Phoenix Blood can aid in cultivation, and I wanted to gift it to you. I've added a soul mark to the gem. I don't know if that's a problem; if it is, I could remove it and change it to..."

Yue Wuhuan reluctantly trailed off, unwilling to make any changes.

The Blood King Vine wrapped around Song Qingshi's foot, swaying gently.

He was a little afraid... If he didn't securely tether Song Qingshi to his side, happiness might vanish.

He didn't want just this lifetime; he wanted every one of Song Qingshi's future lives to belong to him. By then, he hoped they would be together without complications, living a life free from madness and pain, pampering and loving each other, just like in the fantasy world—unburdened by messy reality.

As long as the Phoenix Blood was not destroyed, he could find Song Qingshi through the soul mark.

"It's intricately designed, utilizing many precious materials. Truly a work of genius," Song Qingshi admired the array for a moment, happily putting on the necklace and tucking it inside his clothes. "Thank you, I really love it."

Yue Wuhuan sighed with relief; this wasn't an unhealthy action after all.

He felt a bit regretful; the Phoenix Blood was initially a gift from Song Qingshi. Using it as an engagement gift felt insincere. He regretted not paying attention to finer things in the past decade, focusing solely on medicinal ingredients. The gems he had collected paled in comparison to the Phoenix Blood and were not suitable gifts.

The money from the Medicine King Valley was actually Song Qingshi's; using it for gifts seemed inappropriate...

The more Yue Wuhuan thought about it, the more conflicted he became.

Understanding his dilemma, Song Qingshi smiled and suggested, "Aren't you close to breeding the special mice? I'd like that."

Yue Wuhuan hesitantly asked, "You want a mouse as an engagement gift?"

Song Qingshi was overjoyed: "Yes!"

Yue Wuhuan's ears tinged pink as he lowered his head: "I'll raise them carefully. Once the special mice are ready, can we... become Daoist partners?"

Song Qingshi laughed and said, "Excellent!"