Chapter 87: The Storage Ring and Bone Fan are Gifts from Jiu Yuan
Lou Yunxiao’s breathing grew heavy.
His eyes darkened with an unreadable intensity.
He wanted to push Ning Ke away, yet when he reached out, his hands found themselves resting against the small of the other man’s waist.
When his large, calloused hands—worn from years of sword practice—pressed against that smooth, slippery skin, it felt as though they were being held fast by a magnetic force, making it nearly impossible to pull away.
He looked away, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but he didn’t say he “liked” it. Instead, he managed a single word: “Beautiful.”
“If it’s beautiful, why don’t you look some more?” Ning Ke was addicted to the teasing. He leaned closer, forcing Lou Yunxiao to look at him.
“I’ve seen enough…” Fearing he might do something improper, Lou Yunxiao gritted his teeth and forced himself to push Ning Ke away, putting distance between them. “Put your clothes on first. I’ll look then.”
With that, he scrambled back onto the shore.
His clumsy movements were a far cry from the composed warrior who had sparred with Jiu Yuan.
Ning Ke suppressed a laugh and dressed himself.
When he stood up, he saw Lou Yunxiao still facing away, standing ramrod straight and noticeably stiff.
“I’m dressed. Why aren’t you looking?”
He circled around to face Lou Yunxiao, leaning down to catch the man’s downward gaze.
When Lou Yunxiao finally looked up, their eyes met.
Those eyes were bright and full of mischief.
They were like flawless gems, reflecting Lou Yunxiao’s own shadow.
This was A-Ke.
The little fox who had shared his bed for so long.
The little fox he had once teased and seen naked…
The thought made Lou Yunxiao’s entire body flush with heat.
He was embarrassed.
His heart felt an itch he couldn’t scratch.
And yet, there was a faint, bubbling sense of joy.
Unfamiliar emotions swirled within him.
Lou Yunxiao took a deep breath to steady his racing heart.
Maintaining a mask of calm, he said, “I am looking.”
Ning Ke’s fox-like eyes curved as he leaned in even closer. “But you still haven’t said if you like it or not.”
“This form of mine… do you like it?”
Lou Yunxiao froze, his nose filled with Ning Ke’s unique, cold fragrance.
He opened his mouth, but before he could get a single word out—
A-You’s voice called from nearby.
“Fellow Daoist Lou, Shengzi! The meal is prepared. Please follow me to the rear hall.”
Lou Yunxiao felt as if he’d been granted a divine reprieve. He grabbed Ning Ke’s hand and hurried toward A-You.
As for the unspoken answer, not even he knew what it was.
…
The two stayed in Qingqiu for a day. Before they left the following morning, Jiu Yuan tossed a storage ring to Ning Ke.
Ning Ke was stunned.
This was the very same storage ring he had worn ten thousand years later—the one filled with enough treasures to make one’s jaw drop.
“Take this. Consider it a token of affection from your big brother.” He ruffled Ning Ke’s hair roughly, not stopping until the silver locks were a mess. Then, with a flourish, he produced a fan and a bone whistle.
“You’re such a delicate-looking thing; using a sword is too brutish.” Jiu Yuan shot a pointed look at Lou Yunxiao before continuing his lesson for Ning Ke. “Using a fan to fight is far more aesthetic. Our Fox Clan is all about elegance.”
“Also, if you blow this whistle in a moment of crisis, I will come to you immediately.”
Ning Ke was floored.
That fan… was also the one he used ten thousand years later.
So, all these things had been gifts from this Fox Lord?
In this world, did he truly have a brother who doted on him this much?
But why was there no mention of Jiu Yuan ten thousand years later?
Had he… ascended?
Regardless, he could feel Jiu Yuan’s sincerity.
He gripped the items tightly and bowed.
“Thank you, Fox Lord.”
Jiu Yuan arched an eyebrow. “What did you call me?”
“Thank you, Big Brother Jiu Yuan.”
“That’s more like it.”
Jiu Yuan took a puff of his pipe and tapped Lou Yunxiao’s shoulder with the stem.
His voice dropped an octave.
“You. Remember the promise you made.”
Seeing Lou Yunxiao nod, he stepped back. “Alright. Now, scram.”
…
On the journey back, Xiao Yuan informed Ning Ke that obtaining those items from Jiu Yuan had pushed the plot restoration to 40%.
This made Ning Ke realize that their actions here in the past were truly laying the foundation for everything that would happen ten thousand years later.
However, many questions remained.
What would become of Qingqiu in the future?
Where was the Heavenly Dao that sealed the Great Mo?
What was the ultimate fate of Lou Yunxiao and his mother?
He had to take it one step at a time to find the answers.
Back in Chihe Cheng, Lou Yunxiao landed with Ning Ke and saw Bai Wanru huddled with a white-bearded, thin old man in the courtyard.
The four exchanged looks.
Bai Wanru was stunned. She pointed at Ning Ke. “Son, who is he?”
Lou Yunxiao frowned, pointing at the old man. “Mother, who is he?”
Five minutes later.
Bai Wanru was circling Ning Ke with delight. “Aya, A-Ke, you’re so beautiful after transforming! How is your skin so smooth? Your eyes are so pretty, and your ears and tail are just adorable!”
“Can I touch them?”
Lou Yunxiao stood by with a frosty expression. “Mother, keep your hands to yourself.”
Bai Wanru indignantly retracted her hand, let out a huff, and muttered, “Stinky son, so stingy!”
But then, she smirked.
She could see it clearly—since A-Ke had arrived, her son’s emotions fluctuated more than they ever had.
Her earlier suspicions would likely become reality soon…
Meanwhile, Lou Yunxiao and Ning Ke both turned their attention to the old man.
Bai Wanru explained that the man was a refugee from another city.
His original home had been turned into a “livestock pen” by the Great Mo, where humans were raised for food. He would have died if he hadn’t escaped.
While Bai Wanru was helping the City Lord distribute aid, the old man insisted on following her, claiming she looked like his daughter.
No matter how they tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t leave.
So, Bai Wanru had brought him home.
Is he just a squatter? Ning Ke wondered.
But the old man had a very kind face, one that felt oddly familiar and comforting to him.
The old man ignored their probing stares and smiled. “Lady Bai looks like my daughter, and you two look like my grandsons. I’m just happy to have a home with Lady Bai.”
Who are you calling a grandson? Ning Ke rolled his eyes but said nothing.
Lou Yunxiao looked at the courtyard. “Old gentleman, we don’t have extra rooms…”
The old man waved his hand. “I’m not picky. The woodshed is fine.”
Thus, they were forced to let him stay.
That night, Lou Yunxiao cooked.
Ning Ke leaned against the kitchen door, watching Bai Wanru and the old man talk.
Now that he had transformed, his senses were sharper. He could hear their conversation clearly.
To his surprise, the old man was offering advice to Bai Wanru on her method of forging the Fo Lian Deng.
His words were so insightful that Bai Wanru was nodding along, looking as though she’d been struck by a sudden epiphany.
How could an old man with no cultivation have such a deep understanding of artifact forging?
“What are you thinking about?” Lou Yunxiao finished the rice and walked over to Ning Ke.
“I’m wondering who that old man really is.”
“Regardless of his origins, as long as he doesn’t mean us harm, we needn’t worry too much.” Lou Yunxiao was calm. “Besides, I can sense that his life force is fading. He is at death’s door.”
“If we can accompany him in his final moments, it can be considered a good karmic bond.”
Ning Ke blinked.
He knew Lou Yunxiao’s cultivation allowed him to sense the aura of life and death in ordinary people. If he said the man was dying, he wasn’t lying.
His worries were probably unnecessary.
At the dinner table, Ning Ke thought for a moment and placed a morsel of food into the old man’s bowl.
The old man looked up and smiled.
“Thank you, young master.”
Then, he returned the gesture, placing a piece of food in Ning Ke’s bowl. Ning Ke noticed that the veins on the man’s withered hand were protruding and turned a pitch-black color—a rot that disappeared into his sleeve.
He truly didn’t have much time left.
“Thank you,” Ning Ke said softly. He ate the food without a hint of disdain.
Because of this, he missed the flash of unbearable pain and deep guilt in the old man’s eyes as he looked at him.
Translator’s Note:
Terms:
- Shengzi (圣子): Holy Son / Saint of a clan.
- Huhuo (狐火): Foxfire.
- Shenshi (神识): Divine sense.
- Fo Lian Deng (佛莲灯): Buddha Lotus Lamp.
- Jindan (金丹): Golden Core.
- Dujieqi (渡劫期): Tribulation Stage (The peak of power before ascension).
- QAQ: A crying face emoticon used in web novels.
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