BAAF Chapter 114

Shen Liuxiang was stunned: “Say that again.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan pressed his lips together without speaking, only his face darkened, the hand around the slender waist tightening even more.

 

Shen Liuxiang pursed his lips, then reached for the storage pouch, taking it from Zhou Xuanlan’s waist. “I’m taking a medicinal pill.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan frowned: “For Ye Bingran?”

 

“You injured him,” Shen Liuxiang weighed the dark-colored storage pouch.

 

Zhou Xuanlan coldly pressed his lips, looking unwilling. Not to mention injuring people, the people he had killed could pile up like mountains. What was this? Did he have to apologize after injuring someone?

 

Shen Liuxiang: “Which is the best medicinal pill?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan: “The Scarlet Flame Box.”

 

Shen Liuxiang took out a pill box as red as fire, touched the box body with his hand, unhesitatingly threw it aside, and instead picked up a box emitting icy qi.

 

Zhou Xuanlan narrowed his eyes slightly: “You don’t trust me.”

 

Shen Liuxiang glanced at him, opened the ice box, and sniffed the crystal clear pill inside.

 

These two boxes of medicinal pills were rare items in the world. However, one pill belonged to fire, the other to ice. Ye Bingran’s cultivation method was mostly ice-based. Zhou Xuanlan telling him to take the one from the Scarlet Flame Box, his intentions were self-evident.

 

Shen Liuxiang looked toward Ye Bingran. With his right leg injured, limping over to deliver the medicinal pill was not appropriate. He gathered the surrounding spiritual energy to form a small sword, carrying the pill box, swaying as it flew toward Ye Bingran.

 

“How are your injuries? Take this medicinal pill to heal.”

 

The spiritual sword flew through the air, and Ye Bingran’s gaze fell on it. Although it was made with spiritual energy in the blink of an eye, it was lifelike, with the character “Shen” specially engraved on the hilt, small and exquisite.

 

Looking at the spiritual sword, he said: “No need, I’m not badly hurt.”

 

Just as these words fell, the small spiritual sword

 

in front of him swayed the pill box, as if it couldn’t bear the weight, and dropped.

 

Ye Bingran instinctively caught it. The small sword instantly turned into spiritual energy in his palm, leaving a cool sensation before disappearing.

 

He closed his hand, grasping nothing, yet a pill box fell into his palm.

 

“Thank you, don’t worry,”

 

Shen Liuxiang called out clearly. Under Ye Bingran’s upward gaze, he reached out and stroked the handsome face beside him, then pinched it. “See, I’m fine.”

 

Ye Bingran holding the pill box: “…”

 

Feeling a sudden pain on his cheek and realizing what had happened, Zhou Xuanlan drew in a breath, closed his eyes, then opened them again, his face still barely concealing his anger.

 

He grabbed the fair wrist: “Don’t go too far.”

 

Shen Liuxiang raised an eyebrow.

 

Ye Bingran withdrew his gaze, staring at the pill box in his hand.

 

He didn’t want this medicinal pill; he only wanted that small spiritual sword. Unfortunately, just like the small snow figure from back then, it had dissipated in his hand, leaving nothing to grasp.

 

Ye Bingran sighed slightly, placed the pill box on the ground, nodded slightly to Shen Liuxiang, and disappeared from the spot.

 

Shen Liuxiang couldn’t stop him, so he had to form another spiritual sword to carry the pill box back.

 

He put the box into the storage pouch and was about to withdraw his hand when he inadvertently touched something. His fingertips rubbed it gently—it was a communication talisman.

 

With Zhou Xuanlan’s current status as Demon Emperor, even if there was hostility, places like the Imperial Palace wouldn’t refuse his communication talismans.

 

Shen Liuxiang took out several communication talismans. Zhou Xuanlan glanced at them, and instantly they turned to blue smoke.

 

Shen Liuxiang: “?!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan snatched back the storage pouch, tied it at his waist, and under the red-clothed youth’s indignant gaze, picked him up horizontally: “Behave yourself. I said I wouldn’t give the reverse scale to the Imperial Palace.”

 

Shen Liuxiang held up the reverse scale: “If you’re worried, I can leave the reverse scale with you first, and you can give it back to me when I return.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan lowered his eyes to look at him, saying lightly: “Do you think I would believe that you would come back after going to the Imperial Palace?”

 

Shen Liuxiang: “Why wouldn’t you believe it?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s face showed a meaningful expression: “Because by then it won’t be up to you. I guess Emperor Xingchen will make sure you can’t return.”

 

“Don’t talk nonsense!”

 

Shen Liuxiang didn’t understand why he would say this, but hearing it made him inexplicably shudder. “What reason would he have to kill me? He would never do such a thing!”

 

Zhou Xuanlan gave a cold laugh, not explaining, and was about to leave carrying him when Shen Liuxiang hurriedly said: “My storage pouch.”

 

Shen Liuxiang retrieved his storage pouch, shook off the dust, untied the string. Most things inside were still in good condition, only jade slips and similar items that hadn’t been used for too long had become ineffective.

 

Shen Liuxiang retied the storage pouch at his waist, lightly patting it, and thinking of Zhou Xuanlan’s pouch, his eyes turned slightly.

 

Since Zhou Xuanlan wouldn’t let him have it, the communication talismans could probably contact the Imperial Palace. He needed to find a way to get them.

 

Shen Liuxiang pondered, then looked up to find they had already returned to Xuanyao Palace. He was stunned: “Weren’t you looking for someone? Did you find them?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan said: “I was a step too late.”

 

When he arrived, he only saw an empty ice coffin and several familiar ghost-face masks.

 

It was indeed Gu Tie.

 

He had seen a similar ice coffin before, with a woman lying inside who had already lost her three souls and seven spirits. Gu Tie treasured her greatly.

 

Shen Liuxiang nodded, then was placed on a soft couch.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s hand fell on his injured right leg, tearing away the clothing. The fair calf was instantly exposed, with bruises and blood marks under the skin near the knee.

 

Zhou Xuanlan pressed on the injury, heard a painful moan, and looked up to see Shen Liuxiang’s forehead beaded with cold sweat, his phoenix eyes moist, looking listless as he said weakly: “Gentle, be gentle.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s heart stirred inexplicably, not knowing why his heart started beating faster.

 

Though he had intended to let Shen Liuxiang apply the medicine himself, after opening the medicine bottle, his hand inadvertently took the ointment and rubbed it on the obvious injury.

 

When the ointment was first applied, Shen Liuxiang howled in pain, feeling as if his bones were being crushed, involuntarily retreating further onto the bed.

 

Zhou Xuanlan raised his eyebrow slightly, extending his hand to grab the slender ankle that was a step too slow, mercilessly pulling him back.

 

Amidst Shen Liuxiang’s struggles, the medicine was applied.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s gaze moved from the injury where it had lingered for a long time to the bare white ankle he had caught, which was still trembling in pain in his hand. When he released it, several clear red finger marks were left on it.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s eyes darkened, a flush of heat rising in his heart, feeling that these marks were somehow familiar, with an indescribable alluring quality.

 

He wiped his hands with a silk handkerchief and stood to leave.

 

Seeing this, Shen Liuxiang quickly grabbed his sleeve. “Where are you going?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s voice deepened: “What is it?”

 

After the medicine was applied, the injury felt cold and no longer hurt. Shen Liuxiang regained some spirit, blinking his phoenix eyes: “You suddenly changed your mind about wanting the reverse scale. Is it because you remembered something?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan: “No.”

 

Shen Liuxiang displayed a disappointed expression, but quickly curved his lips: “Why don’t I tell you about past events?”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s expression cooled slightly: “Why would I want to hear about your past with your disciple?”

 

Shen Liuxiang: “You might remember something.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s thin lips parted slightly. With completely blank memories, he wanted to deny it outright, but his gaze fell on Shen Liuxiang’s lowered eyelashes, and he was silent for a moment.

 

“What will you talk about?”

 

Shen Liuxiang cleared his throat: “About how you would give me anything I asked for.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan heard the hidden meaning, narrowed his eyes slightly, his handsome face drawing close to him. “Then should this disciple give you the communication talismans?”

 

Shen Liuxiang nodded repeatedly: “Yes, yes.”

 

Zhou Xuanlan curled his lips: “No, I am not your disciple.”

 

Shen Liuxiang: “…”

 

Zhou Xuanlan left, and Shen Liuxiang could only lie on the couch to recover. After waking from a nap, he found night had fallen. He moved his leg; the ointment had worked extremely well, and it was almost completely healed.

 

After dinner, Shen Liuxiang hurried to Zhou Xuanlan’s study, but there was no light inside. He had probably returned to his sleeping palace.

 

“So early today,” he muttered, pondering how to get his hands on Zhou Xuanlan’s storage pouch as he walked toward the sleeping palace.

 

Zhou Xuanlan’s mind was unsettled tonight, and he had returned to his room early to rest.

 

Lying on the couch, various scenes crossed in his mind: one moment it was Ye Bingran’s name on the Three Lives Stone, then Ye Bingran holding Shen Liuxiang, then him angrily taking Shen Liuxiang back, then…

 

A snow-white ankle covered with red marks, trembling in his hand…

 

He should have seen it before, in an unfamiliar cave dwelling.

 

The young man lying on the black robe, his skin snow-white all over, soft black hair disheveled and spread on the couch, both hands hooked around his neck, handsome face flushed, lips tightly bitten, occasionally letting out a slight moan.

 

It sounded extremely pleasant.

 

This was his master—Shen Liuxiang.

 

The person he had desired for many years and carefully guarded in his heart.

 

Finally becoming his.

 

Zhou Xuanlan had never been so satisfied, pressing the person beneath him and taking him again and again, until the young man let go of his hands around his neck, pressed against his chest, shaking his head in refusal, saying “no more” in a trembling voice.

 

He was reluctant to let go.

 

When his master really couldn’t bear it anymore, he would struggle to escape, and the red marks on his ankle were left at that time.

 

Falling into black eyes, Zhou Xuanlan’s entire body was hot, unprecedentedly burning, only by venting on the young man’s body could he get some relief.

 

Finally, the young man’s slender fingers tightly grasped the black robe beneath, fingertips turning white with force, the sounds spilling from his reddened lips fragmentary and unbearable, even faintly tinged with crying.

 

…Extremely tempting.

 

Zhou Xuanlan opened his eyes, waking up startled.

 

The room was dimly lit and completely silent. After a while, as if sensing something, he turned his head to look at the young man crouching by the bedside who had just gotten the storage pouch, with a slightly stiff expression.

 

Seeing the situation wasn’t good, Shen Liuxiang ran with the storage pouch, searching for communication talismans as he ran.

 

When he reached the door, he found it wouldn’t open.

 

Shen Liuxiang’s body slightly stiffened, sensing the pressure close behind him. Before he could turn around, he was pinned against the door.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

His waist tightened, a deep voice by his ear.

 

Shen Liuxiang coughed dryly: “Fine, at most the communication talismans…”

 

Before he could finish, his expression changed. In the dim light, his phoenix eyes widened slightly, his expression showing some panic, then his face turned completely red.

 

Shen Liuxiang couldn’t help but move forward slightly, but his body was already forced against the door, so moving forward was useless.

 

This movement instead stirred the person behind him, the arm around him tightening a bit, the deep voice mixed with some hoarseness, warning: “Don’t move—”

 

Shen Liuxiang’s legs trembled, his scalp tingling: “I won’t move, I won’t move.”

 

Hot breath blew against the back of his ear: “…Shut up.”

 

Shen Liuxiang pressed his lips together, his long eyelashes trembling lightly in the darkness. The room was completely silent, with only Zhou Xuanlan’s slightly heavy breathing. Time passed bit by bit, and after an unknown period, when Shen Liuxiang’s long legs had almost lost feeling from standing, he was finally released.

 

The door opened, and Shen Liuxiang threw the storage pouch backward and ran off in a flash.

 

Zhou Xuanlan stared at the hurriedly fleeing figure, his gaze obscure. After a while, he picked up the storage pouch, his face suddenly darkening.

 

At this time, the sky was still dark. Shen Liuxiang, with a bit of red still on the tips of his ears, found a secluded place, took out a crumpled communication talisman from his bosom, wrinkled his nose, and sighed inwardly at the difficulty.

 

He quickly activated the talisman, and in an instant, the communication talisman transformed into a dark light and disappeared.

 

Just as Shen Liuxiang was breathing a sigh of relief, a cold, deep voice came from behind: “Who did you ask to come get you?”

 

Shen Liuxiang: “?!”

 

##

---

 

(advanced chapters available on kofi)