Chapter 112 – A Secluded Bamboo Grove – “acquaintance” (01/03)
Yangjing Mountain.
Deep within the bamboo grove, You Huang stood by the stream, his gaze fixed on the grove across from him.
That was where he was born.
Back in the Immortal Realm, he had no clue where to begin looking for Yunhua.
Why was he a fragmented soul? Why was he in the Small Thousand World? After his divine soul vanished, did he return to the Immortal Realm or did he go somewhere else?
Whose powerful aura had he encountered while tracing his memories? Was it his… enemy?
“Master… where are you?”
With a low murmur, You Huang’s thoughts drifted back to the time they first met.
He had grown up in the Immortal Realm, nourished year-round by immortal energy. That year, he was about to take human form.
Then Yun Hua arrived.
He had a wine flask slung around his waist and a divine grass clamped between his teeth, nibbling at it bit by bit. He surveyed the bamboo, tapping and knocking on the stalks, muttering to himself that he needed to find a good one.
You Huang was so frightened he didn’t dare move.
Just then, a strong wind picked up. The surrounding bamboo swayed in the breeze, but You Huang alone stood tall and still, not budging an inch.
“Huh?” Yun Hua reached out and shoved the entire divine grass into his mouth, chewing it down in a few quick bites. He leaned close to You Huang and flicked him lightly. “You’ve gained divine consciousness?”
Yun Hua walked around You Huang in a circle. “You’re quite a sight, actually. If you don’t say anything, I’ll assume you have no consciousness and chop you down to make a flute~”
“No! I’m about to take human form! Don’t chop me down!”
“Oh, such a clear voice. You’re just a kid, aren’t you?”
Yun Hua placed his hand on the stalk. “Since our paths have crossed, it’s fate. I’ll give you a helping hand.”
Powerful immortal energy enveloped You Huang, and though it should have taken him several more years to take human form, he instantly transformed. After taking human form, You Huang appeared as a teenager of sixteen or seventeen years.
When Yun Hua saw him, a flash of admiration crossed his eyes, then he smiled meaningfully. “You’ve been guided by me, which is why you were able to take human form today. It’s only right that you repay me, isn’t it? Your true form is a bamboo. Can you transform?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Turn into a xiao flute.”
Yun Hua loved the xiao. You Huang had learned this after transforming into a flute at his request and seeing how much he cherished it.
“Stop touching me.”
“May I play a tune?” Yun Hua looked rather disappointed.
You Huang transformed back into human form in his hands. Yun Hua quickly pulled away.
You Huang: “If you like flutes, just carve one out of a bamboo stalk.”
Wasn’t that exactly why he’d come here?
Yun Hua ran his hand over the wine flask at his waist. “Now that I’ve seen you, how could I possibly set my sights on any other bamboo?”
You Huang: “……” He’d been complimented.
“Hey, little one,” Yun Hua reached out and ruffled his hair. “You’ve never left this bamboo grove, have you?”
“…I’ve only just taken human form.”
“If you don’t have anywhere to go, why not travel with me? What’s your name?”
You Huang: “I haven’t thought about it.”
“Then let me give you one. Hmm…” Yun Hua looked at the empty spot where a bamboo stalk had been. “How about You Huang? What do you think? Do you know which two characters they are?”
You Huang shook his head.
“That makes sense. You’re not a great demon who’s inherited a legacy; you’re a bamboo spirit born in the Immortal Realm who transformed through a divine connection, so naturally you wouldn’t know anything,” Yun Hua said with a smile. “But that’s alright. I can teach you.”
Nourished by immortal energy, You Huang had been able to take human form through a divine connection. Thanks to this gift, he possessed common sense and understood speech and writing, yet he couldn’t fully comprehend them.
Yun Hua led him out of the bamboo grove and away from the deep mountains. As they traveled together, he taught him to read and write, and to play the flute and compose melodies…
You Huang called him “Master,” but Yun Hua laughed and declined. “I can’t just take on a disciple on a whim. If you truly wish to, then address me as ‘Teacher.’”
“Teacher.”
After that, You Huang and Yun Hua traveled together throughout the Immortal Realm. Yun Hua loved to indulge himself; he loved wine and the flute.
You Huang, however, couldn’t touch alcohol; he’d tried it once and got drunk after just one sip. When drunk, he was very docile; whatever Yun Hua told him to do, he did.
That was also the first time he obediently transformed into a flute for Yun Hua to play.
From then on, Yunhua took pleasure in coaxing him into drinking, but You Huang wasn’t a fool. Aside from a few occasional, unforeseeable moments, he gradually figured out You Huang’s tricks and prevented him from succeeding.
Yunhua complained that this made things no fun at all.
As You Huang matured, more and more people began to take notice of him. Immortal lords frequently declared their love for him, asking to become his immortal partner.
Yun Hua chased away one suitor after another, then went so far as to craft a mask for him to wear, “Those misfits—do they even deserve to set their sights on my You Huang?”
You Huang asked, “Can’t I find a partner?”
“It’s not that you can’t—it’s that you can’t just go around doing whatever you want. Look at all those men and women coming to court you. Which one isn’t just here to fawn over your face? They don’t even know your name.”
“What about you? What about your partner?”
Yun Hua laughed. “I certainly can’t have a partner.” He chuckled softly for a while before saying, “Someone as carefree and independent as me could never stand being tied down by a partner.”
You Huang’s eyes had always been fixed on him. After realizing he’d developed feelings for Yun Hua, he gradually came to realize that Yun Hua felt the same way about him.
But just as he was about to make his feelings clear, Yun Hua, for some reason, rejected him.
You Huang was certain he hadn’t misread Yun Hua’s feelings.
On one occasion, when Yun Hua was trying to coax him into drinking again, he pretended not to notice, allowing Yun Hua to succeed.
Yun Hua stood there, dumbfounded for quite a while. “How come he fell for it this time?”
Over the centuries, it had become increasingly difficult for him to succeed. This time, it was merely a matter of habit.
“Could it be that I rejected you… and now you’re restless?” Yun Hua didn’t know that You Huang had secretly learned to tolerate alcohol in private—all because of Yun Hua’s love for it.
Though he hadn’t reached the point of sharing drinks and merrymaking with him, having a few cups was no longer a problem.
Yet Yun Hua still believed him to be the same You Huang who couldn’t touch a drop of alcohol.
Sure enough, he thought You Huang was drunk. Propping his head up with one hand, he looked at him. “Huang’er, why do you have such fond feelings for me?”
You Huang’s expression was gentle. “I just do.”
“In that case, I can no longer keep you by my side.” The emotion in Yun Hua’s eyes was a world apart from his usual carefree, wind-like demeanor.
Amid his suppressed pain lay a joy that You Huang could see at a glance.
He was overjoyed that the one he loved also loved him.
But why the restraint? Why the pain?
You Huang whispered, “Why? The Immortal Realm is vast—you said you’d take me everywhere.”
Yun Hua opened his flask and took a sip. “Since I cannot be your Dao partner, I naturally cannot hold you back. The farther you are from me, the easier it will be for you to let go.”
“What if I can’t let go…?”
“You must.”
“I don’t want to.”
Yun Hua chuckled. “Weren’t you being such a good boy just now when you were drinking? Why are you suddenly reluctant?”
“I don’t want to.”
Yun Hua beckoned to him. “Huang’er, come here.”
You Huang stood up and walked over to him.
You Huang grabbed his hand and pulled him into his embrace. “Once you wake up from this slumber, I’ll be gone.” You Huang lowered his head; Yun Hua couldn’t make out his expression. “Huang’er, look up.”
You Huang obediently looked up.
Yun Hua reached out to remove his mask and set it on the table, then gently stroked his face. “You’re still just as handsome as ever. No wonder those Immortal Lords were so eager to become your immortal partner, even if they didn’t recognize you,.”
“Doesn’t Master like it?”
Knowing that he would forget everything once he woke up, Yun Hua whispered, “Of course I do. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have made you wear that mask all this time.”
“I like you too, Master.”
A hint of reluctance flashed in Yun Hua’s eyes. “I’m afraid it’s just because you’ve been by my side ever since you took human form, you’ve developed different feelings for me and mistaken them for something else. Once you meet more people in the future–”
“No matter how many people I meet, I’ll only ever like you, Master.”
Yun Hua reached out to cover his eyes, then lowered his head to place a gentle kiss on the corner of his lips. You Huang reached out to press them together slightly as a cool sensation washed over him.
Yun Hua tilted his head back. “What did you feed me?”
You Huang didn’t answer.
Yun Hua: “You’re not drunk?”
His expression changed, and he let go of Yun Hua. You Huang wrapped his arms around Yun Hua’s neck and leaned in to kiss his lips. The immortal energy within him faltered. In an instant, he realized what he had just drunk.
The Immortal-Sealing Elixir.
It was what he had given You Huang over a thousand years ago.
“Huang’er, I can’t be by your side every moment. This is the Immortal-Sealing Elixir. If you encounter danger, use it. As long as it touches skin, it will cause the immortal energy of anyone below the rank of Immortal Emperor to stagnate for a few breaths. If swallowed, it can even lock away the opponent’s immortal energy for up to half an hour.”
“Thank you, Master.”
Yun Hua looked bewildered for a moment. This Immortal-Sealing Elixir was extremely rare and You Huang used it just like that?
The Immortal-Sealing Elixir that he gave him was used on him?
“Since you care for me, Master, why did you reject me?” You Huang pulled away and pressed his forehead against his; their flowing locks intertwined as they floated in the air. “We’ve been together for a thousand years. You’ve always been so carefree and uninhibited. I never knew you’d become so constrained. When did this happen?”
Yun Hua leaned back in his chair. “I, in turn, do not know when you began to deceive me and resort to such tactics.”
“Wasn’t it you who said you wanted to leave?”
“So, am I the one who’s woven my own shackles?
They gazed at each other for a moment, then smiled simultaneously.
You Huang lowered his head and gave his lips a light peck. “Master, what troubles you?”
Yun Hua closed his eyes. “I’m just afraid that one day, I’ll let you down.”
“Hesitating and second-guessing—that’s not your style, Master.”
“Then what should I do?”
“Follow your heart. The future is unknown; don’t let the present go to waste.”
“Huang’er… you have a point.”
You Huang waved his hand, and an open-air hut with a soft bed appeared where there had been nothing before.
Yun Hua tightened his grip on his shoulder. “The gap between our realms is too great; we cannot practice dual cultivation of spiritual awareness. You wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”
“Master, your immortal arts are sealed; naturally, you cannot practice dual cultivation.”
“But the methods are not limited to spiritual awareness.”
“How do you know all this?”
“I’ve known it since birth.”
“Master, please say no more.”
~ Only the Moon Can See ~
By the stream, You Huang picked up a flute, placed it to his lips, closed his eyes, and began to play softly.
‘Master, back then and afterward, you always used the difference in our cultivation levels as an excuse to refuse spiritual consciousness cultivation. But back then… was there already something wrong with your spiritual consciousness? And later, how did you end up reduced to a mere wisp of a soul?’
Yun Hua acted with a carefree spirit, yet he was far from reckless. He could always drive people to the brink of fury with just a few words. Those Immortal Lords who declared their love to him were always subjected to both physical blows and verbal attacks.
Yet, in his presence alone, he maintained the dignified demeanor befitting “Master,” showing great gentleness.
Edit: Krone
Proofread: Choux_choux
