84. Sour and sweet
With a cold face, Sun Fuyu threw calming rocks at the demons. They hit them squarely on the face, making them dazed twofold: from the impact and from the calming qi. Only then did Sun Fuyu draw his sword, cutting through their evil arrays and summoning wind to bind the demons.
“Very quick,” Hu-shijie said with an approving look.
“En.” Sun Fuyu stepped aside to let another senior question the demons.
This was the last mission that Sun Fuyu needed to complete in order to have enough spiritual stones.
“—Disciple Sun, these are your magical...rocks,” a male Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Fan carried the assortment of stones in his hands. But he didn’t hold them out to Sun Fuyu.
Sun Fuyu had to restrain himself from reaching out impolitely. “En.”
“The Disciple Wen who made these, you know him well, yes?” Senior Fan said.
“En.”
“Then do you know what he likes?”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes flashed. “Why does Senior Fan wish to know that?”
“Calm down, Disciple Sun, I have no bad intentions—”
Hu-shijie came over and poked Senior Fan in the forehead. “He wants to seduce your shixiong to get these calming stones for free instead of paying a high-grade spiritual stone for them,” she said drily. She took the stones out of Senior Fan’s hands and returned them to Sun Fuyu.
“Thank you, shijie,” Sun Fuyu said gratefully. For his own peace of mind, he didn’t look at Senior Fan’s face again.
Back at the Golden Sun Sect, three white-and-blue robed cultivators strolled through the gardens, accompanied by Cheng Yahui.
Cultivators from other sects frequently visited; these three cultivators were from the Blue Sea Waves Sect, all of them proficient array masters like Cheng Yahui.
One of the male cultivators suddenly paused, his fan fluttering over his lips. “What is that qi? You can sense it too, yes?”
“Ah?” Cheng Yahui spread out their awareness. “Oh, indeed! You must be sensing Cultivator Wen’s qi aura.”
The three cultivators’ eyes widened. “That is an aura?”
“I would have sworn it was some kind of heart-soothing array you made, Yahui!”
“We must speak to this Disciple Wen! What kind of healing cultivator are they??”
“Disciple Wen Zhihao is a talisman cultivator, not a healing cultivator,” Cheng Yahui told them. They took out one of their calming stones. “He made this.”
The male cultivator’s eyes widened.
“Then we have to speak to him!”
Cheng Yahui led them accurately to where Wen Zhihao was currently at: the training grounds of Liu Zhongmin, watching the children and teenagers practice martial arts under Liu Zhongmin’s instruction. Look at them punching with their little fists!
The male cultivator’s fan raised slightly as he turned his head. “What an understated beauty, the kind of plain handsomeness that is very charming and pairs perfectly with that soothing aura.”
His Dao Companion, one of the two female Blue Sea Waves cultivators, face-palmed. “He doesn’t look like the threesome type, ba.”
Cheng Yahui laughed. “Do you realise that all those children are his?” The shock on the faces of their three friends made Cheng Yahui laugh even more. “Take out your high-grade spiritual stones if you want anything!”
“You can sleep with his calming stone aura instead,” the female cultivator said to her Dao Companion.
The male cultivator’s lips twitched under the cover of his fan. With ssshl, he closed the fan. “No need.” He then took out a dozen high-grade spiritual stones and strode boldly up to Wen Zhihao.
Once the mission ended, Sun Fuyu and the others returned to the sect. Sun Fuyu collected his reward and headed directly to one of the crafting cultivators in the sect.
“Here, this is the last payment,” Sun Fuyu said, handing all the just-acquired spiritual stones over.
“And here are your commissioned treasures.”
With the treasures tucked away, Sun Fuyu hurried back towards his sleeping quarters.
He found Wen-ge at Shifu Liu’s training grounds, surrounded by a group of senior cultivators, most of them unfamiliar. He arrived just in time to hear the senior cultivators farewell Wen-ge. Sun Fuyu nodded his head to the four seniors as they walked past him.
“Wen-ge!” Sun Fuyu quickened his pace.
Wen Zhihao smiled. “Welcome back, Xiao Yu.” He frowned slightly, and reached out to brush back a strand of hair from Sun Fuyu’s face. Both Sun Fuyu’s posture and qi aura were tense. He lowered his voice: “Was the mission particularly hard today? Did something else happen?”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes reddened slightly. But he held his grievances in and shook his head.
Wen Zhihao gave Sun Fuyu a long look before dropping the matter. “The children need baths now.”
Sun Fuyu pulled himself together. “En.”
After Liu Zhongmin finished teaching the children and older ‘mortals’, Wen Zhihao took the children to bathe while Sun Fuyu helped the older ones back to their accommodation.
The children had some food after bathing, and then soon fell asleep from the combination of tiredness from exercise and warmth of a filled belly.
Wen Zhihao made sure the blanket covered the last child and left the room.
In the other room, Sun Fuyu was still standing up, fiddling with the sleeves of his robes.
Wen Zhihao closed the door behind him and walked up to Sun Fuyu. “Xiao Yu, will you tell me what the problem is now?”
Wen Zhihao was taken aback when Sun Fuyu suddenly hugged him. He raised his arms and hugged Sun Fuyu back. “There, there, it’s okay now.”
“Hu-shijie said that Senior Fan wanted to seduce you.”
Wen Zhihao blinked, dumbfounded. That...wasn’t what he was expecting. “Who is Senior Fan? What for?”
“To get calming stones! And—and I think Senior Zhou Sheng wants to be your Dao Companion!” With his grievances aired, Sun Fuyu buried his face in Wen-ge’s shoulder, hugging him tightly.
Wen Zhihao gave a fond sigh, the corner of his lips curling up helplessly. “Oh, Xiao Yu. I’m sure both of them were joking. But even if they weren’t, you cannot control their feelings.” He caressed Sun Fuyu’s hair, ruffling it with his fingers. “Why does Xiao Yu think I would be seduced by them? I think Xiao Yu is the cutest.”
Sun Fuyu’s lips trembled. “But what if...what if Wen-ge likes them more? And they’re stronger than me, what if they…”
Wen Zhihao’s eyes darkened slightly. “If they force me or anyone else, this matter needs to be reported, okay? We have many people to help us.”
“Hmm…” Sun Fuyu’s head involuntarily tipped back in order to better enjoy the hair caressing.
“Xiao Yu is wonderful. Xiao Yu is hardworking. Xiao Yu is good with the children. In fact, should I be worried that your shijies and shixiongs would see how good you are and offer to take you away? They can mentor you, they have more resources—”
“No! I like Wen-ge the best!”
Wen Zhihao smiled and tapped Sun Fuyu on the nose. “See? Now, if you feel this way again, don’t forget to talk to me. But remember that I like Xiao Yu best, and Xiao Yu apparently likes me best too?”
Sun Fuyu nodded quickly. A warm glow grew in his chest. “Because we’re Dao Companions.”
“We are. We have agreed, haven’t we?”
“Wen-ge…”
“Hm?”
Sun Fuyu opened his mouth. His heart began to beat rapidly, and he faltered. In the end, he said, “I want to give you something.”
Sun Fuyu stepped back from Wen Zhihao and took out two treasures: they were identical jade pendants with beads and tassels, the style to be worn at the waist1. The jade pendants themselves were heavy with protective spiritual qi, and both had the motifs of two curled up cats.
The jade pendant hanging from Wen-ge’s waist would make him even more handsome; it would signal to others that the two of them were Dao Companions; and it would provide Wen-ge with another layer of defence when Sun Fuyu was away.
Wen Zhihao’s eyes brightened as he grinned. “Cats! They’re very cute. Thank you, Xiao Yu.”
“I’ll help Wen-ge wear it tomorrow,” Sun Fuyu said.
Wen Zhihao’s grin turned sheepish. “Xiao Yu knows me so well.” He touched the surface of the jade, fingers lightly skimming over the curled cats. It had to be expensive, and it had to be custom-made.
“I also have something for you, but I haven’t finished preparing it yet.”
Sun Fuyu perked up. “Really?”
“En. After talking to Cultivator Huang, she put me in touch with Sword Crafter Lin Jixuan. After Senior Cheng and those other cultivators visited earlier, I now have enough money for you to have your sword upgraded.”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes brightened. Sword Crafter Lin Jixuan was the best weapons crafting cultivator in the sect, but it was very hard to get an appointment with her for anyone under the Nascent Soul stage. And while she had the reputation for being a little sharp and harsh, it was only because she cared for the swords so much.
“Thank you!”
Wen Zhihao’s eyes curved. “See, we both prepared gifts for each other. Doesn’t that mean we’re well-matched?”
Sun Fuyu was enlightened. “Wen-ge is right!”
Wen Zhihao chuckled. “En. So try not to feel jealous of others, okay?” He patted Sun Fuyu on the head, and guided Sun Fuyu to bed.
84. Sour and sweet
With a cold face, Sun Fuyu threw calming rocks at the demons. They hit them squarely on the face, making them dazed twofold: from the impact and from the calming qi. Only then did Sun Fuyu draw his sword, cutting through their evil arrays and summoning wind to bind the demons.
“Very quick,” Hu-shijie said with an approving look.
“En.” Sun Fuyu stepped aside to let another senior question the demons.
This was the last mission that Sun Fuyu needed to complete in order to have enough spiritual stones.
“—Disciple Sun, these are your magical...rocks,” a male Nascent Soul cultivator surnamed Fan carried the assortment of stones in his hands. But he didn’t hold them out to Sun Fuyu.
Sun Fuyu had to restrain himself from reaching out impolitely. “En.”
“The Disciple Wen who made these, you know him well, yes?” Senior Fan said.
“En.”
“Then do you know what he likes?”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes flashed. “Why does Senior Fan wish to know that?”
“Calm down, Disciple Sun, I have no bad intentions—”
Hu-shijie came over and poked Senior Fan in the forehead. “He wants to seduce your shixiong to get these calming stones for free instead of paying a high-grade spiritual stone for them,” she said drily. She took the stones out of Senior Fan’s hands and returned them to Sun Fuyu.
“Thank you, shijie,” Sun Fuyu said gratefully. For his own peace of mind, he didn’t look at Senior Fan’s face again.
Back at the Golden Sun Sect, three white-and-blue robed cultivators strolled through the gardens, accompanied by Cheng Yahui.
Cultivators from other sects frequently visited; these three cultivators were from the Blue Sea Waves Sect, all of them proficient array masters like Cheng Yahui.
One of the male cultivators suddenly paused, his fan fluttering over his lips. “What is that qi? You can sense it too, yes?”
“Ah?” Cheng Yahui spread out their awareness. “Oh, indeed! You must be sensing Cultivator Wen’s qi aura.”
The three cultivators’ eyes widened. “That is an aura?”
“I would have sworn it was some kind of heart-soothing array you made, Yahui!”
“We must speak to this Disciple Wen! What kind of healing cultivator are they??”
“Disciple Wen Zhihao is a talisman cultivator, not a healing cultivator,” Cheng Yahui told them. They took out one of their calming stones. “He made this.”
The male cultivator’s eyes widened.
“Then we have to speak to him!”
Cheng Yahui led them accurately to where Wen Zhihao was currently at: the training grounds of Liu Zhongmin, watching the children and teenagers practice martial arts under Liu Zhongmin’s instruction. Look at them punching with their little fists!
The male cultivator’s fan raised slightly as he turned his head. “What an understated beauty, the kind of plain handsomeness that is very charming and pairs perfectly with that soothing aura.”
His Dao Companion, one of the two female Blue Sea Waves cultivators, face-palmed. “He doesn’t look like the threesome type, ba.”
Cheng Yahui laughed. “Do you realise that all those children are his?” The shock on the faces of their three friends made Cheng Yahui laugh even more. “Take out your high-grade spiritual stones if you want anything!”
“You can sleep with his calming stone aura instead,” the female cultivator said to her Dao Companion.
The male cultivator’s lips twitched under the cover of his fan. With ssshl, he closed the fan. “No need.” He then took out a dozen high-grade spiritual stones and strode boldly up to Wen Zhihao.
Once the mission ended, Sun Fuyu and the others returned to the sect. Sun Fuyu collected his reward and headed directly to one of the crafting cultivators in the sect.
“Here, this is the last payment,” Sun Fuyu said, handing all the just-acquired spiritual stones over.
“And here are your commissioned treasures.”
With the treasures tucked away, Sun Fuyu hurried back towards his sleeping quarters.
He found Wen-ge at Shifu Liu’s training grounds, surrounded by a group of senior cultivators, most of them unfamiliar. He arrived just in time to hear the senior cultivators farewell Wen-ge. Sun Fuyu nodded his head to the four seniors as they walked past him.
“Wen-ge!” Sun Fuyu quickened his pace.
Wen Zhihao smiled. “Welcome back, Xiao Yu.” He frowned slightly, and reached out to brush back a strand of hair from Sun Fuyu’s face. Both Sun Fuyu’s posture and qi aura were tense. He lowered his voice: “Was the mission particularly hard today? Did something else happen?”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes reddened slightly. But he held his grievances in and shook his head.
Wen Zhihao gave Sun Fuyu a long look before dropping the matter. “The children need baths now.”
Sun Fuyu pulled himself together. “En.”
After Liu Zhongmin finished teaching the children and older ‘mortals’, Wen Zhihao took the children to bathe while Sun Fuyu helped the older ones back to their accommodation.
The children had some food after bathing, and then soon fell asleep from the combination of tiredness from exercise and warmth of a filled belly.
Wen Zhihao made sure the blanket covered the last child and left the room.
In the other room, Sun Fuyu was still standing up, fiddling with the sleeves of his robes.
Wen Zhihao closed the door behind him and walked up to Sun Fuyu. “Xiao Yu, will you tell me what the problem is now?”
Wen Zhihao was taken aback when Sun Fuyu suddenly hugged him. He raised his arms and hugged Sun Fuyu back. “There, there, it’s okay now.”
“Hu-shijie said that Senior Fan wanted to seduce you.”
Wen Zhihao blinked, dumbfounded. That...wasn’t what he was expecting. “Who is Senior Fan? What for?”
“To get calming stones! And—and I think Senior Zhou Sheng wants to be your Dao Companion!” With his grievances aired, Sun Fuyu buried his face in Wen-ge’s shoulder, hugging him tightly.
Wen Zhihao gave a fond sigh, the corner of his lips curling up helplessly. “Oh, Xiao Yu. I’m sure both of them were joking. But even if they weren’t, you cannot control their feelings.” He caressed Sun Fuyu’s hair, ruffling it with his fingers. “Why does Xiao Yu think I would be seduced by them? I think Xiao Yu is the cutest.”
Sun Fuyu’s lips trembled. “But what if...what if Wen-ge likes them more? And they’re stronger than me, what if they…”
Wen Zhihao’s eyes darkened slightly. “If they force me or anyone else, this matter needs to be reported, okay? We have many people to help us.”
“Hmm…” Sun Fuyu’s head involuntarily tipped back in order to better enjoy the hair caressing.
“Xiao Yu is wonderful. Xiao Yu is hardworking. Xiao Yu is good with the children. In fact, should I be worried that your shijies and shixiongs would see how good you are and offer to take you away? They can mentor you, they have more resources—”
“No! I like Wen-ge the best!”
Wen Zhihao smiled and tapped Sun Fuyu on the nose. “See? Now, if you feel this way again, don’t forget to talk to me. But remember that I like Xiao Yu best, and Xiao Yu apparently likes me best too?”
Sun Fuyu nodded quickly. A warm glow grew in his chest. “Because we’re Dao Companions.”
“We are. We have agreed, haven’t we?”
“Wen-ge…”
“Hm?”
Sun Fuyu opened his mouth. His heart began to beat rapidly, and he faltered. In the end, he said, “I want to give you something.”
Sun Fuyu stepped back from Wen Zhihao and took out two treasures: they were identical jade pendants with beads and tassels, the style to be worn at the waist1. The jade pendants themselves were heavy with protective spiritual qi, and both had the motifs of two curled up cats.
The jade pendant hanging from Wen-ge’s waist would make him even more handsome; it would signal to others that the two of them were Dao Companions; and it would provide Wen-ge with another layer of defence when Sun Fuyu was away.
Wen Zhihao’s eyes brightened as he grinned. “Cats! They’re very cute. Thank you, Xiao Yu.”
“I’ll help Wen-ge wear it tomorrow,” Sun Fuyu said.
Wen Zhihao’s grin turned sheepish. “Xiao Yu knows me so well.” He touched the surface of the jade, fingers lightly skimming over the curled cats. It had to be expensive, and it had to be custom-made.
“I also have something for you, but I haven’t finished preparing it yet.”
Sun Fuyu perked up. “Really?”
“En. After talking to Cultivator Huang, she put me in touch with Sword Crafter Lin Jixuan. After Senior Cheng and those other cultivators visited earlier, I now have enough money for you to have your sword upgraded.”
Sun Fuyu’s eyes brightened. Sword Crafter Lin Jixuan was the best weapons crafting cultivator in the sect, but it was very hard to get an appointment with her for anyone under the Nascent Soul stage. And while she had the reputation for being a little sharp and harsh, it was only because she cared for the swords so much.
“Thank you!”
Wen Zhihao’s eyes curved. “See, we both prepared gifts for each other. Doesn’t that mean we’re well-matched?”
Sun Fuyu was enlightened. “Wen-ge is right!”
Wen Zhihao chuckled. “En. So try not to feel jealous of others, okay?” He patted Sun Fuyu on the head, and guided Sun Fuyu to bed.
