eunoia | bl | tgcf

Chapter 7: Part Three

Chapter 7
Banyue, where the xinlan flowers grow...

Part Three
Reaching the point of no return.

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"Shifu," Xie Lian almost yells out of excitement. He calms himself down, not willing to ruin his impression on Yun-shifu any further. "Will you still be staying at the shrine?" Thinking about how his identity is revealed ahead of time, Xie Lian worries that Yun-shifu might find it awkward for a while to be around him.

"Don't worry," comes Yun-shifu's exasperated reply. "San Lang still needs a place to stay, and he is someone I need to watch. So, we shall be imposing on you, Xie Lian."

"Not at all," The scrap immortal is overjoyed! "The both of you are always welcome to stay at the shrine!"

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Xie Lian feels as if he were riding the gentle waves of the sea, hearing the fluttering sails and calls of birds. The sound of water moving back and forth fills his ears, as he lays under the bask of the sun. It feels as though he is that young, inexperienced crown prince again.

Who follows behind the medical cultivator from the Ying Kingdom, eagerly asking questions, calling shifu here and shifu there. He is eager to talk to shifu about a lot of things. An inexplicable urge to tell him all that has happened in the past eight hundred years surges from the bottom of his heart.

Because shifu always knows what to say. In the past, whenever Xie Lian had a question that he could not get an answer to, he often bothered shifu. Asking this and that, like a fly buzzing in one's ears. Yet shifu, the gentle and patient shifu, answered each of his queries, and every answer enlightened Xie Lian.

The awe that bubbled from the bottom of his heart was difficult to contain, and even now, this crown prince finds it difficult to sit still. One moment, his finger keeps tapping his knee. Next, an itch appears in his palm. Then, the many words he wants to say are stuck in his throat.

The moment he opens his mouth, he knows that he would not be able to shut up.

This fervent adoration is difficult to calm down that Xie Lian does not realize that this whole time, his cheeks have been painted in natural rogue, giving him such a rosy complexion.

San Lang: "..." Gege... is blushing???

Xiao Lan: "..." Is the heat getting to him?

Fu Yao and Nan Feng who know the reason behind Xie Lian's expression: "..."

Xie Lian, unaware of the thoughts in his companions' heads, smiles freely, as if there is nothing weighing on his shoulders. He simply wishes to stay by shifu's side, following in his steps, listening to his voice.

How joyous this day is, despite the difficulties ahead!

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"Min'er, are you still angry with me?

"I have always told you, that you and I are destined partners. No matter how long it takes, you and I shall be wedded with the heavens as witnesses.

"Min'er.

"Min'er, won't you look at your husband?"

That voice sounds so distant, seemingly like an echo once it reaches this ghostly crown prince's ears. Yet no matter how eerie those words are, no matter how that voice disgusts him—his attention remains on the shackles on his wrist. They are cold and heavy, requiring quite a lot of strength to lift.