eggy translations

Translating /A Snake Encounter/ by Su Hen. Translator's Notes are disabled on mobile, and I have not found a solution. Please read on a desktop for now!

[eggytranslations]

has this project been been dropped?

I think for now it will not be updated for a very long time. I’m not doing well at all.

I’m very sorry for the delay. I kept thinking I would be able to come back to this but I really don’t have the energy.

If someone wants to continue translating please dm me here or on Twitter.

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 16-Tricked

quick pre-chapter note: looking for editor and/or co-tl, pls dm me on twitter! more notes at chapter end, thanks 🤡

Content warnings: misogyny

As soon as Yi Mo left, the spell he casted naturally lifted. Shen Qingxuan heard the numerous but still distant sound of footsteps coming through his window screen, while an accompanying red lantern swayed as it passed through the corridor and arched entryway, gradually nearing his courtyard. His newly married concubine, who was askew by the bedside, was also quietly waking.

-

At this point, the night was already quite dark, but Shen Qingxuan knew that he would have much to do this night.

Firstly, of course, was to take care of the mess that cold and naughty snake left for him.

 -

Thinking of this, Shen Qingxuan could not help but be vexed. In the past thousand years, had this snake become accustomed to going at his own pace? With that air, he seemed to slip into his role as a hands off shopkeeper quite smoothly, without even including a polite remark.

Once he thought about the word “polite”, it very naturally followed that Shen Qingxuan remembered that “gift”, and his face immediately darkened. His face was black as he glared at the box on the table for a very long while before he gripped the thing in his hand, along with that pearl as well, and stowed it away, near to his body.

Unexpectedly, his face also recovered its poise within the blink of an eye, as if that promiscuous object had never existed.

 -

Xu Mingshi came to, and in his daze, he felt a dull, burning pain that radiated from the back of his head. His thoughts, however, were still convoluted. At that moment, he heard a voice that seemed to sound familiar near his ear; it was asking him, “You’re awake? How do you feel?”  

Xu Mingshi opened his eyes. What entered his sight was Shen Qingxuan’s face that was smiling a not-quite-smile with some concern contained in his eyes and who happened to be looking at him with incomparable composure.

The scene from before rushed into his mind like a tsunami. Both of Xu Mingshi’s eyes glared like orbs as he shouted with anger, “Shen Qingxuan!” 

Shen Qingxuan still had that expression, not moving at all as he looked at him, and then without haste, he leisurely sounded out an “Mm” from his nose. The final syllable was raised and not said without provocation.

 -

Xu Mingshi flew into a rage. The moment that he bounced up from his chair, he discovered that he had been tied to a chair. The hemp rope was thick, strong, well-tied, and happened to have him tied up into a zongzi

without a fuss. Meanwhile, Shen Qingxuan sat on a chair, his expression quite leisurely and satisfied. The way he looked at him was like he was looking at a zongzi that he was going to eat with his meal. Xu Mingshi could only feel like his lungs were about to explode. The fact that he was tricked by this disabled person who looked gentle and harmless, who could not even tie up a chicken, who even needed someone to push him to be able to move, someone so useless!

“Shen Qingxuan!” Xu Mingshi hatefully shouted once and then paused for a moment. He still could not think it through so he asked, “You and I have no grudges against each other, why did you harm me?”

“Have I harmed you?” With a smile in his eyes, Shen Qingxuan replied to him with a question, but he added, right before the other man was completely enraged, “Why do I feel like I am saving you?”

“……You, save me?” Xu Mingshi said out of clenched teeth, “You tying me up like this can be called saving me?!”

“This is just me worrying that you’re too hot-tempered, “Shen Qingxuan replied leisurely, “and will do something stupid.”

“You’re afraid that I’ll kill you?” For once, Xu Mingshi caught on.

“Exactly.” Shen Qingxuan admitted without any shame. He said seriously, “Mind you, I am no yao. If you get an angry rush of blood to your head and “collect” me, you will have to pay it back with your life”

-

He said it both solemnly and seriously with a cold expression. When Xu Mingshi heard his words, he immediately had the helpless feeling of a scholar encountering a soldier. He was obviously the soldier, yet he had been controlled by a mere scholar to the point that he could not retaliate. This truly made one furious! With great difficulty, he restrained his urge to rip apart this person in front of him. Xu Mingshi calmed down and thought about the cause and effect again. Naturally, he recalled the part he had overlooked previously. When Shen Qingxuan heard that Yi Mo was a snake yao, he did not show any surprise, moreover, he went out of his way to help it without any regard for his own safety, so it could be seen that they knew each other.

He then lifted his head to look around, but Xu Mingshi could not tell where he was being imprisoned. In the pitch-black and narrow room there were only two benches and a wooden table. A candle wick was alight on the table, its flame as big as a bean, a feeble light that could only illuminate a small portion of the scene in front of him. Most of the space was still pitch-dark with the cramped and small window far off to the side. The air gave off a smell of old, rotten wood like a prison cell.

 -

“What is the relationship between you and that snake yao?? Why did you help him? Where did my yao collecting ding go? Where’s that snake?……” After he sized up his surroundings and paused for thought, Xu Mingshi’s questions came one right after another.

Shen Qingxuan sighed deeply and asked, “You have so many questions, which one do you want me to answer first?”

Xu Mingshi was temporarily speechless.

“Then I’ll just answer them one by one.” Once Shen Qingxuan had teased him enough, he pushed his wheelchair a bit closer and moved the candle light on the wooden table between them. In the candle light, his expression was gentle. He slowly said, “Previously, you were surprised about why I was not a mute like the rumors had said. More than likely, this has already occurred to you as well. Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. I owe that snake a favor. He had first saved my life, and then he restored my voice. A slight pause, and then Shen Qingxuan continued, “Now, this is the answer to your second question. I helped him because, like you said, he is a good yao. Furthermore, he is my benefactor. As for your third question, that little red copper ding, I’ve detained that object.” Shen Qingxuan lied with ease.

At first, Xu Mingshi was stupefied and hurried to say, “What are you going to do with my artifact? You don’t even understand Daoist rites, what use do you have taking it!”

“It is exactly because I do not understand Dao rites that I would take it.” Shen Qingxuan smiled and reached out his hands to undo Xu Mingshi’s ropes. He said with his head lowered, “At least I will not be impulsive and harm a good person that I should not harm.” The last phrase he said with extra emphasis.

 -

Xu Mingshi stared stunned and speechless. He thought about his prior recklessness, which had already spoiled his mental Dao cultivation and made him feel ashamed. Just like Shen Qingxuan said, he had nearly harmed this snake yao who was so close to cultivating into an immortal. Not to mention harming the other man’s cultivation, but if that yao collecting ding really detained him, Yi Mo would vanish into nothing. If Xu Mingshi unwarrantedly committed an evil deed like murder, it would be even harder to redeem himself. When he thought about this, his face flashed green then white, looking extremely awful in this moment.

Seeing his complexion, Shen Qingxuan had basically figured out his frame of mind, so he quickly undid all of Xu Mingshi’s ropes, including the ones on his legs. At the time, he had let the servants bind the ropes taut, so undoing them took quite a bit of time. Shen Qingxuan’s fingernail bent a bit, which was exceedingly painful. He thought to himself, This is called asking for a hard time. However, his face still had that sincere and serene look, not revealing even a trace of anything else. His manner was that of an elegant gongzi, as if he had not at all done something like smash someone unconscious and then tie their arms and hands behind their neck. His pretense was well presented.

Once the ropes were all undone, Shen Qingxuan threw the bundle of hemp rope off to one side before he straightened his robes and sat up straight. He said sternly, “To possess a treasured artifact, you must be even more prudent in your actions. Or else, at best you will harm people and yourself, and at worst you will bring doom to your country and people!”

He paused for a moment, changing to a gentler tone, and said, “I see that although you are young, you can differentiate between good and evil and know good from bad. Tying you up today was not completely because I was worried you would harm me. I was more worried that you would be young and impetuous, and go find that snake yao for a fight. From the start, you were not his match, and then you lost your artifact. If you really provoked him, would it not be a waste for you to lose your life? Moreover, I have seen the robe you are looking for as well. I presume that with your level of Dao attainments, you are not unable to see what that thing is. Yi Mo taking it back has always meant a return to its rightful owner. What’s the point of bitterly pestering him?”

 -

Xu Mingshi rubbed the rope marks on his wrists as he listened seriously. His Dao attainments were not low, yet he had little experience in the world, plus his nature was simple and straightforward, so although he felt it was not right, he could not pick out any faults in Shen Qingxuan’s words. The person on show in front of him, in his eyes, was just a disabled person who valued friendship, and even understood the bigger picture. His behavior and conduct in the world were profoundly generous. At this time, he still did not understand what was known as smooth talking, and what was conspiring and scheming.

Like this, smashing and binding, yet also personally untying the ropes and speaking softly spoken words to him, a verbal cudgel smashing down like a needle hidden in a brocade blanket with a softness that hid strength, it already made him muddle-headed and he nearly could not find north.

Fortunately, it was just nearly. In his muddledness, Xu Mingshi still grasped the most pertinent point. He said, “Then return my things.”

Shen Qingxuan was silent when he heard his words, and looked at him for a moment. The expression in his eyes was utterly still as if they were two ancient, deep, and serene wells. He stared until he made Xu Mingshi’s hair stand on end before he shook his head. “I cannot give them to you.”

“Why can’t you give them to me?!” Xu Mingshi immediately blew up. “Is it because you’ve taken a liking to those treasures of mine? I’m telling you, that was handed down by my founding master. If you don’t return it, I’ll return to the temple tomorrow and all my shixiongdi will come find you to get it back! We will cause chaos for the entire Shen family, even the chickens and dogs!”

“Shut up!” Shen Qingxuan shouted quietly. His volume was not loud, yet even the air vibrated as if there was a wind. He was, after all, born to a big clan as the eldest son who had been praised by everyone, so he still had an aura about him. This low yell frightened Xu Mingshi for a second and he subconsciously stopped talking to stare at Shen Qingxuan dumbly.

 -

At that moment, Shen Qingxuan was staring at him with his brows knit.

Xu Mingshi also sensed that his tone was much too impatient, plus, he had lost too much face when he obediently shut his mouth after Shen Qingxuan merely shouted once, so he could not help but add, “……Cough……In any case, you have to return my things to me.”

“Not only will I return the yao collecting ding to you, I also have the snake molt robe in my possession. I will give you both treasures. How about that?”

“Ah?” Xu Mingshi gaped his mouth.

“I am a person of the ordinary world, I have no use for these things in the first place. So what if I just give them to you? However, there is one condition.”

“What?”

“For the time being, go and temper yourself. Once I know you can truly spread benevolence and eliminate evil, and not lose your temper by fighting other’s, and not do anything horrendous, then I will personally present the two treasures with both hands.” 

“I, what……” Xu Mingshi scratched his head, his face looking foolishly at Shen Qingxuan. “Why does hearing this feel somewhat confusing?”

-

He appeared much too foolish with his mouth agape, eyes staring, and whole face of confusion. As Shen Qingxuan looked and looked, he thought of his younger brother who would occasionally have this kind of dumb expression and he could not help but laugh. He thought to himself, These two have unexpectedly similar dispositions: very naive. He said in a low voice, “From the looks of it, your conduct is not bad. You only need to temper your disposition and in the coming days you will surely be able to rid demons, protect the Dao, and have your name travel far. To give you these two items would count as helping you. However, now is not the time. Your attainments are still shallow. Once you hold a treasure, it’s easy to be arrogant and willful. If you meet a powerful enemy, it will harm you instead. Plus, your temper is impulsive and your behavior is reckless. So if you meet someone with a disposition in opposition to yours, for example, a good yao like Yi Mo, you will depend on the treasure in your hand again and harm them……” Shen Qingxuan smiled and could not help but reach out his hand to pinch that silly face. He continued, “I will keep the items in your stead. In the days to come, once the time is ripe, I will let someone deliver it to you. Phrasing it this way……do you understand now?” 

When Xu Mingshi had his cheek pinched by him, he only felt that this action was incomparably intimate. In a daze, he felt like it was still childhood; it was an experience only had when he played with his fellow apprentices. Once they grew up, his apprentice brothers were all busy with practicing Daoism and gaining experience. It was hard to see each other, and even if they did, for some reason they had become much more distant……the finger on his face was warm and carried an inky fragrance that had been nurtured for years. The pinch was neither painful nor itchy, just unexplainably affectionate. Even his tone was gentle, like the earnest and sincere urging of an old friend of many years.

Although Xu Mingshi was listening to him speak, and heard clearly, he did not know why, but he opened his mouth and could not reply. He could only foolishly stare at Shen Qingxuan.

In the sway of the candlelight, the person before him had clear, handsome features and a tranquil expression. The candlelight reflected a layer of tenderly flowing golden light onto his jet-black hair. He had a gentle beauty that could not be put into words. 

Xu Mingshi stared, dumbstruck

-

Shen Qingxuan did not receive a reply after quite a while, so he raised his brow and his palm to lightly tap the table. After a “pa” sound, the elbow that Xu Mingshi was resting on the table slid and his whole person lost his balance, flopping onto the tabletop. His head harshly bumped against the edge of the table with a muffled sound.

-

Seeing him embarrass himself, Shen Qingxuan laughed soundlessly.

As Xu Mingshi clutched his head, he felt awkward to the utmost degree. He knew that he had severely lost control and he rushed to straighten up his body and sit properly again. His head was lowered to stare at his toes and he did not dare to raise it.

“Have you heard everything I’ve said?” After Shen Qingxuan laughed enough, he quickly recovered and asked him like normal. Xu Mingshi nodded his head.

Seeing this, Shen Qingxuan narrowed his eyes and asked again. “Do you agree?” Xu Mingshi still had his head lowered, and nodded it again. 

“Since that is the case, you will go to the guest room to rest tonight. I will call for a physician to take a look at the injury to your head. The night is late, rest early, and if you have any issues, we can discuss them tomorrow.” Seeing that everything had been taken care of, Shen Qingxuan turned the wheelchair to leave, but just as he reached the entrance, he heard that clear voice behind him say, “But now that I cannot retrieve the robe and also lost the ding that my temple’s founder transferred down, I cannot return to the mountain anymore.”

Shen Qingxuan paused and after a moment he turned his head back to say, “Then what is your plan?”

Xu Mingshi kept silent for a moment before he said, “Could I live here as a guest of your residence, and treat it as a lodging place to get my footing? This way, as my practice bears fruit, you can witness it at any time.”

Shen Qingxuan thought about it and inclined his head, agreeing. “No problem, I will arrange it. From now on, the Shen family doors will open for you.” Seeing the clean smile on that young face, Shen Qingxuan thought of another matter. He hurried to instruct him. “Regarding the matter of my ability to speak, besides you and I, do not spread it any further.”

Xu Mingshi had no concern for these things so he naturally agreed with pleasure. Afterwards, he helped Shen Qingxuan push the chair as they left the dark, little room. 

Once they had walked out, he turned back to look, and with the help of the moonlight, he clearly saw that it was the Shen family’s small courtyard for storage.

 -

Shen Qingxuan became a mute again. He arranged for someone to take Xu Mingshi to rest and then he rang the bell again to call over a servant to push him to his own nanmu quarters. On the way, they turned through many more pavilions, terraces, and verandas. Shen Qingxuan sat in his seat, feeling the occasional jolts of the path below him as he thought of the swollen lump of congealed blood that he felt while checking Xu Mingshi’s injury.

Such a young kid, yet he used such a harsh tactic.

He was not without apprehension.

At what point did he become like this? He could be unmoved when faced with clean, pure eyes. He could harshly act against someone who was going to save him. He could be full of schemes and calculations against someone who was similar to his own little brother.

Deceptions and lies, when had he become so smooth at telling them? He remembered when he was little he was still a pure and kind child. Where was the Shen Qingxuan who used to be earnestly taught by his father and teacher to adhere to virtue, justice, ethics, wisdom and trust?

Such a ruthless person who would stop at nothing to get what he wants, is this really Shen Qingxuan?

 -

With shut eyes, Shen Qingxuan made no sound the whole way. Not one person discovered that the fingertips of the hand he hid in his sleeve resting atop of his knee was shaking slightly, like a panic-stricken butterfly.

The servant boy stopped in front of the courtyard entrance, in view of the small nanmu building. Two servant girls came forth and took over the wheelchair handles, and started wheeling him again to enter the inner courtyard.

At that place, there was still a newly-taken concubine waiting for him. 

Shen Qingxuan opened his eyes again, his expression returning to stillness. He did not know when his fingertips stopped shaking, but they were steadily resting to the side.

Everything returned to normal.

- 

Consummate the marriage? Yes, I will.

Shen Qingxuan thought to himself, But not right now.

Towards a woman who suddenly flew to the top branches of life, romance and attachment would only mislead her and let her think that she had actually become a phoenix and could do whatever she pleased. She would no longer fulfill the three obediences and four virtues and would even carry out a murder and a betrayal!

He must be indifferent to her first. Let her know that even if she was a woman who had served him since he was young, there would be zero exceptions. 

Only once he had been indifferent to her for long enough, until she understood that she was just a concubine that he was well with or without, would he give her a child and let her have a proper place. Then, she would obediently serve her husband and raise their child. And respect his legal wife.

Shen Qingxuan narrowed his eyes again, Should I or should I not take a legal wife? From his personal experience, to avoid familial ups and downs, one wife was more than enough for a man. Really even one concubine could be enough. As long as she could carry on the incense inheritance.

Else, once he has a legal wife, he really will not be able to go beyond propriety again.

Thinking of this, he sighed again. If only Yi Mo was a woman. He could immediately marry him as a legal wife, write him into the Shen family genealogy log, and leave him with no escape. Even if he died, and Yi Mo lived for another thousand or ten thousand years, he would still belong to the Shen family!

 -

Alas.

Shen Gongzi shook his head and laughed silently, feeling bitterly disappointed as well.

Unexpectedly, he had hard to ignore feelings of possessiveness towards Yi Mo. This was far more dreadful than sensual desire.

~~~~~

oTL looking for an editor and/or co-tl, my editors also got wrecked by irl and my job is taking a lot out of me so i can’t tl at a steady pace and editing takes me foreverrrrrrrr so...if you’re interest pls dm me on twitter

i’m ded o-(-( ch 17 in progress but no fixed date rn since i have a big deadline coming up irl, thanks for your patience everyone! i’m sad the quality has gone down too TAT trying my best!

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 15-Concubinage

Content warnings: ableist language, misogyny

Taking a wife was originally an important matter. A wife would be an additional person to the manor and another member to the family tree, so it was necessary to seriously liven up for it. If, however, one was marrying a concubine, it was an entirely different matter. Use a small sedan to lift her in from the side door, no need to bow to the heavens and earth or to one’s parents. The newly-wedded bride in pink clothes would be delivered into the room where the marriage would be consummated that night. This would suffice for a formal title.

When the time came to take in the concubine, Shen Qingxuan happened to be in the main hall drinking wine with his family. Because it was the day of his birth date, he could not do without drinking more cups with his relatives. Then, he also ate a bowl of longevity noodles, which were hand-pulled by his mother, and drank the soup. His second mother stood behind Mother Shen, topping up the wine for everyone from time to time. The banquet meal went on for two double hours before they finished, and relocated to the garden to listen to plays. After two plays, they gave out the tip, before everyone dispersed like animals.

-

Shen Qingxuan’s energy was actually not bad. After he finished listening to the play, he went to the garden for a walk as well. He called for a servant to pick some melons and fruit from the trees. He held them in his arms as he ate them to sober up while admiring the moon.

It was not until he was halfway through eating a fruit that he suddenly remembered he had taken a concubine today.

Look at how lively this day has been, I have even forgotten this matter.

Mother Shen had also drunk a couple more cups, becoming so dead drunk that she had to retire to her room early to rest. In her drunkenness, she did not remember to remind him, or perhaps it did not occur to her that Shen Qingxuan would also need a reminder from his mother regarding the matter of consummation.

Only then did Shen Qingxuan throw away the fruit pit and let the servant hurriedly push him towards his own courtyard.

-

His wooden-wheeled chair only made it halfway along the fire wall when they suddenly heard a yell come from outside the wall in a clear and sharp voice, full of heroic spirit. “You old yao, quickly return the thing to me!”

Shen Qingxuan was dumbfounded and raised his hand, signaling to stop while he crooked his ear to listen closely to the commotion outside the wall. He could only hear that heroic male voice again as it shouted, full of anger, “On what basis can you say that is yours? That was something handed down to me by my shifu. You say it’s yours, and it’s yours?!”

Just as Shen Qingxuan was wondering if the old yao this person mentioned was Yi Mo, the clear sound of the clash of weapons suddenly cut through the air, resounding in their eardrums. Shen Qingxuan’s heart seized and he had no mind to attend to the matter of his concubine tonight. He called for someone to push him along the fire wall, and they walked fast with quick steps to open the door and observe.

The Shen family garden occupied dozens of mu, and the shopping street was just outside the wall. It was already well into the night and there were not very many pedestrians or vendors on the street. The servants carried a lantern out and guarded his side, coming along to watch the excitement.

Borrowing the candlelight of the lantern, Shen Qingxuan looked over only to see a young Daoist standing not far away from him. A yin and yang fish patterned bronze mirror

hung in front of his chest, and he held a long sword in his hand, the tip of which was currently pointed angrily towards another person's chest.

That person was none other than Yi Mo.

Yet Shen Qingxuan had no idea why he would appear here, or moreover, how he got tangled up with this Daoist from who knows where.

-

Shen Qingxuan sent a meaningful look and a quick-witted servant walked over immediately, bowing with clasped hands as he said, “Gentlemen, what are you two doing? If you are going to brawl, you can move further away. Do not fight in front of the Shen family manor. If someone were to die, will that not attract trouble for the manor? What’s more, officers are not far away, are you both not scared of being taken away?”

Shen Qingxuan’s brows twitched and he thought to himself, He has a gift for the gab, but it’s too bad that these two are both unafraid of trouble. His judgement is still lacking maturity.

Once the Daoist saw Shen Qingxuan, who was sitting in his chair, he paused for a moment and then put away his sword. Like a hothead, he jogged over, and as soon as he opened his mouth, he casually asked, “You are the master of this manor?”

Naturally, Shen Qingxuan did not answer. The servant to the side answered for his master, “This is my eldest young master.”

“Oh, oh, so you are the Shen family’s eldest shaoye?” The Daoist looked 18 or 19 years of age, his young and vivacious face looked two parts foolish. After he spoke, he added, “That paralytic? Yi? You look fine to me. You can even sit up. You’re not paralyzed that severely.”

Shen Qingxuan curled his lips and the corner of his eye swept towards Yi Mo, who was standing to the side, with a look that meant, Look at you and the kind of people you’ve provoked.

-

Shen Qingxuan felt displeased, but he still smiled at the Daoist and made a gesture towards the servant, who promptly bowed down ”Our shaoye means to invite you two into the manor for tea. If there is some misunderstanding between you, you could also sit down and discuss it thoroughly. Do not fight so violently on the streets.” At the end, the servant added another sentence, “Today is my shaoye’s birth date, a day of great happiness, and he also took a concubine. Why not set aside your old scores and come inside for a drink and wedding feast?”

“Oh, your birth date?” The young Daoist was dumbfounded. He scratched his head like he felt bashful about his previous rashness but then he thought of something else and shot a hateful glare towards Yi Mo before turning back towards Shen Qingxuan to say, “That’s fine. I hear that the Shen family is always generous and kind. Since today is the shaoye’s wedding day, I will not put a damper on it. Hey!” he shot a yell over to where Yi Mo stood. “I hear that the Shen family is always reasonable, how about we ask them to settle our old scores and determine fairly? Save ourselves the fight, too. How’s that?”

Yi Mo stood there, and who knows what he thought of before he finally walked over, and nodded his head.

The Daoist spoke again to Shen Qingxuan, “Then we will trouble Shen gongzi to be a fair judge for us.”

-

Shen Qingxuan felt ridiculously awkward inside. Fair judge? Be fair to him and Yi Mo?

The scale in itself was crooked, one end could raise up all the way to the sky. How could it measure fairly? Yet he still nodded and made a gesture to invite the two men into the manor.

A servant pushed him along at the front. Behind them, there was a chatty servant who quietly asked the Daoist, What are you doing calling him an old monster? He’s clearly a person of impressive appearance.

The Daoist replied viciously, “What person?! He is just an old monster!” He said this with conviction, but because it carried his emotions, no one was willing to believe what he had said.

Shen Qingxuan invited the two men to his own courtyard. In the six-sided pavilion

, he set up some fruits and refreshments and served a ewer of warmed wine as well. Then, they banqueted by the light of the moon.

Shen Qingxuan sat in the host seat, Yi Mo and the Daoist sat across, facing each other. From time to time, the Daoist would raise his eyes to viciously glare at Yi Mo, but Yi Mo’s face stayed as light as the wind the entire time, not revealing his thoughts.

Shen Qingxuan ordered the servant to leave right after he set everything out. He personally filled the cups that were in front of the two men with wine, and drank first as a sign of respect. The two men also raised their cups and drank. After a round of drinks, Shen Qingxuan made an invitational gesture with his hand, prompting the Daoist to speak.

-

“This lowly one’s surname is Xu, Xu Mingshi. I am a Daoshi from the Qing Yun Temple on Qing Yun Mountain.” After a brief introduction, Xu Mingshi spoke about his grudge with Yi Mo which resulted from when Yi Mo went to their temple gate a few days prior and took his temple’s treasure. So he set off down the mountain and his search brought him all the way here. After wandering, he finally happened upon this place a month ago, and with it, Yi Mo.

Xu Mingshi pointed at Yi Mo as he said with certainty to Shen Qingxuan, “Do not be fooled by his current, proper human appearance, he is actually a yao. Moreover, he is one of those yao who habitually steals!”

When Shen Qingxuan heard his words, he first nodded his head seriously, then he could not help but lower his head to silently laugh.

“Shen gongzi, do you not believe me?” Xu Mingshi saw him laugh and immediately felt such humiliation and rage that his entire face burned red.

Shen Qingxuan bit his lip, and after a moment’s thought, he finally opened his mouth to speak. “Since he is a yao, it is one thing for you to not collect him, but why have you brought him here and want me to give a fair judgement? You are not afraid that he will have evil intentions and harm me, the impartial party?”

-

Xu Mingshi stared at him stupidly for a while, before yelping out loud, “Ahhh! You can speak? Didn’t everyone say you are a mute?”

“I have just recently recovered, they just do not know yet.” Shen Qingxuan indifferently replied. He perked a brow, then added gently, “I want to give my family a surprise. In my best interests, I also hope that you, Daoshi, will not spread this.”

Xu Mingshi continued to be dumbfounded, but he nodded his head at once. “Of course, of course.”

Shen Qingxuan’s smile crinkled his eyes as he took control of the conversation again. “What were we talking about just now?”

“Harm to people, oh, harming people……No, although this yao is a yao, he does not have any yao qi. He also looks like he is about to cultivate into an immortal. He will not harm people.”

“Really?” Shen Qingxuan continued smiling brightly with crinkled eyes, “You can just collect him, retrieve that treasure of yours, then release him.” A slight pause and he spoke again, “Unless it’s because your skills are too weak to collect him?”

Xu Mingshi grew up in a Daoist temple since childhood, so his thoughts were straightforward, and quite naive. There was no way for him to hear the truth behind Shen Qingxuan’s words, and he did not sense that Shen Qingxuan was currently twisting his meaning. He rushed to reply, “According to my usual abilities, I really cannot collect him, but I have a talisman that my founder left behind. As long as I use it, I will certainly be able to collect him. Except……”

“Except what?”

“Except, once I use it, he will vanish into smoke. It’s not like he is a yao that harms humans. I am a cultivator of the Dao, I must always be merciful.” Once he said this, Xu Mingshi looked rather proud of himself as he swept a glance at Yi Mo, who was sitting still and not speaking. He said with a tone like an alms giver, “Hey, you old monster, return my stuff to me or else I’ll make your soul disappear and be eternally damned from ever reincarnating again!”

He was single-mindedly feeling so proud of himself that he did not notice that Shen Qingxuan’s expression had gone icy as he sat there, still and unmoving.

-

Yi Mo finally spoke. In one sentence, he said it laconically. “It is mine. It has been returned to its rightful owner.”

“Nonsense, my shifu clearly told me that was a silk robe that someone had gifted him. It is proofed against swords and spears, and protective against gods and ghosts.” Xu Mingshi tried to justify himself, “My shifu wore those clothes and collected who knows how many yao that were causing trouble in the world. On what basis can you say that it is yours?!”

“It is mine.” Yi Mo repeated simply.

Shen Qingxuan spoke up to break apart the two men’s messy entanglement, and asked, “What is it?”

“Robes!” “Snake slough.”

The two men spoke at the same time, yet their answers were completely different.

-

After Shen Qingxuan got over his confusion, he understood immediately. So the snake slough that Yi Mo went down the mountain to look for a couple days prior turned out to be at this Daoist’s temple, and it was even their guardian treasure.

“You snake yao, you’re speaking complete nonsense!” Xu Mingshi was enraged.

“I have spoken no nonsense,” Yi Mo said indifferently, “Three hundred years ago, I was exceptionally weak when I was shedding my skin. I was not paying attention for a moment, and my snake slough had been stolen away. I do not know how it wandered into your temple. How funny is it that your shifu wore a monster’s skin while doing a thing like cutting down yao. If not for that, I would not have taken back this thing. If it is truly just and virtuous, I would have no issue gifting it to you.”

“You’re speaking nonsense! What’s wrong with my shifu cutting down monsters and getting rid of demons!”

“Humans have a human path. Yaos have a yao path. Evil spirits naturally have an evil spirit path, just as immortals also have an immortal path. They all complement each other.” Yi Mo played with the engraved silver cup in his hand, and, without raising his head, said carelessly, “Your shifu brags about ridding monsters, but he is actually an indiscriminate butcher. Regardless of how good or evil they are, he kills them all. Such a manner of conduct violates the human path. It breaks the customs of the evil spirit path, and also breaks the laws of the human path. That’s why his lifespan was so short, dying before he was even 30. Yet, you venerate him. Could it be that you want to follow in his footsteps?” His last sentence was still said in an understated manner, but his killing intent had been exposed.

“So what if I follow in his footsteps?” As if he had been provoked, Xu Mingshi hit the table and stood up with anger.

“Then I will simply get rid of you.” Yi Mo replied calmly.

The crisp sound of a sharp blade coming out from its scabbard suddenly rang out and disturbed the tranquility of the garden.

“Then on this day I will get rid of you, yao!”

-

Shen Qingxuan stayed silent and retreated backwards in his wheelchair as he watched the two men get entangled in a fight again.

Yi Mo stood unarmed while Xu Mingshi’s sword flourishes dazzled the eyes, yet he still could not get close to Yi Mo’s person. Their bodies had already become blurs. The sword current swept over the plants in the yard, knocking them all down while a yao force brushed over them as well, causing them to shrivel up completely.

However, not one person came out during this whole ordeal, not even a nosy servant to watch the excitement. Shen Qingxuan knew that Yi Mo must have cast a spell to separate the realm inside the garden from the outside world, so he relaxed and sat calmly in his chair, watching with keen interest.

After some dozen rounds, Xu Mingshi was at a complete disadvantage, and he had even lost his long sword. His hair was in disarray and his expression awkward. Yi Mo was still carefree and serene, as if this was just the scene of a monkey show.

The sense of justice in Xu Mingshi’s heart could only hold out so long against his juvenile righteousness. In his fury, he reached his hand into his pocket to take out a small object. With one hand holding the object in his palm and one hand gesturing, he closed his eyes and mumbled incantations to himself, all of which were curses.

Yi Mo stilled his body and looked at the thing in his hand with slightly creased brows. Shen Qingxuan’s pleasant expression of enjoyment of the drama finally changed.

From the moment he heard from Xu Mingshi’s lips that a talisman capable of controlling Yi Mo actually existed, he was already thinking about how he could destroy it. Not for anything else, only because Yi Mo treated him well. Yi Mo was a good yao, but even if he was a bloodthirsty and murderous demon that killed humans, Shen Qingxuan would still want to protect him all the same. There were so many people in this world, yet only a handful of people treated him well. The fewer there were, the more he had to treasure them. Even if it meant going against the heavens and defying all virtue, he would not balk. Otherwise, a person lived only one life, and if they could not even protect the people they wanted to protect, what was the point in wanting this kind of life at all?!

In a moment as quick as lightning, Shen Qingxuan’s body sank, his entire body falling back with the wheelchair. Behind him was the lotus pond with its floating lotus leaves and crystalline water. He shouted loudly, “Daoshi, save me!”

And just like that, he fell into the pond.

-

That shout of his was extremely shrill, loud enough to shake even the vast sky. The golden rays that were getting brighter and brighter in Xu Mingshi’s hand suddenly stopped, extinguishing in an instant. He did not think as he dived towards Shen Qingxuan.

Xu Mingshi had just grabbed one of Shen Qingxuan’s hands, when, in a flash, he only saw that face that had only just floated out of the water’s surface give him a slight smile, a smile that was exceedingly cunning yet innocent. Following this, Xu Mingshi could only feel that a blunt pain emanated from the back of his head and the last thing Xu Mingshi remembered seeing was Shen Qingxuan’s smiling face as well as the rock he gripped in his hand.

-

Yi Mo casted a spell to fish the two men out of the lotus pond. Shen Qingxuan coughed twice, and as soon as he flipped his body over, he urgently dug out that small, red-copper-colored ding from Xu Mingshi’s hand and threw it towards Yi Mo. “You put this away.”

Yi Mo caught the ding, and looked at it in his hand, putting it away in his sleeve afterwards. His expression was like normal. “That was a pretty good show.”

“Pei.” Shen Qingxuan spat at him. “Why haven’t you sent me back to change my clothes?” Then he said, “You release the spell, I’m about to call for someone. Leave the rest of this matter for me to take care of.”

Yi Mo walked over and cradled him up in his arms, walking towards the small nanmu building in the yard. Shen Qingxuan hooked one hand around Yi Mo’s neck as his other hand wiped the water off his face. He had wiped a couple times before noticing the water dripping all over his body did not stain Yi Mo in the slightest. Intrigued, he wiped a handful of water droplets on Yi Mo’s lapels. The wet marks did not even make contact before they spontaneously dispersed.

Shen Qingxuan tried a few times, but not once did he succeed.

Right, he is yao. With boundless dharmic power untainted by human affairs.

He could not help but laugh at his own ridiculousness. How arrogant he was to assume that his stains could sully him. Then again, who knew Yi Mo was so loftily superior from the masses? Yi Mo was not someone who could be tainted by such an ordinary person like himself.

-

He also did not know how humorous this childish action was in Yi Mo’s eyes. As he watched Shen Qingxuan rub and rub again, but never be able to leave his mark, even he wanted to release the spell and let him. However, the mire was truly too unclean, so Yi Mo was in a dilemma as well. He stopped his footsteps and lowered his head to look at him.

Seeing him stop, Shen Qingxuan took the opportunity to say, “Put me down, tonight I am taking a concubine. The way we are right now seems like you are the one taking me as a concubine instead.”

Yi Mo looked and looked again at the person in his arms. Shen Qingxuan probably had no idea what he looked like at this moment. His hair was in disarray and he was entirely covered in dirty, smelly water. There was even a small shrimp from the pond, moving about and ready to make trouble on his head. He looked for a moment more, but did not know how he should respond to his affection. He could only reply, “In my entire life, I have also never seen a concubine completely covered in silt.”

Shen Qingxuan became angry from embarrassment, and pinched a handful of Yi Mo’s shoulder as he counterattacked, saying, “Well I don’t mind that you are a big snake who is icy and cold, yet you mind me. What, making so many remarks about me, is it that you want to marry me? If you’re going to marry me, I’ll break off next year’s marriage. I’ll prepare the three matchmakers, the six betrothal gifts, the phoenix crown, and the red cloth for you and immediately take you as a wife.”

At this time, Yi Mo owed him a debt of gratitude, and his words were blocked by Shen Qingxuan’s sudden, sharp tongue. He also did not know how he had angered him, so he could only stay silent for a moment and say, “This mouth of yours should have been mute all those many years.”

Shen Qingxuan scoffed once, and Yi Mo spoke again, “There’s no issue. The person in your room, I let her sleep long ago. You can be entirely at ease.”

-

All along the way, the two of them bantered. Normally, Shen Qingxuan could not open his mouth to speak. With great difficulty, he finally had a person he could talk to, so his speaking skills rose all along the way. Unmatched in his cunningness as he fought a verbal battle with him, Shen Qingxuan felt completely unworried and at ease. When they returned to his quarters, as expected, Shen Qingxuan spotted that newly wedded concubine askew on the bed and felt relieved, ceasing his words as well. As he directed Yi Mo to retrieve his clothing, he realized that now was not a convenient time to call someone over to attend to him as he bathed. He had no choice but to ask Yi Mo, “Do you have any way to let me be clean?”

Yi Mo’s finger made a slight movement, then the silt and little shrimp on his head disappeared all at once. However, Yi Mo still remembered that he did not have any advantage during their verbal battle, so he deliberately played dirty. He was unwilling to let Shen Qingxuan feel completely clean, thus he left Shen Qingxuan’s clothes damp and clinging to his body, purposely making Shen Qingxuan feel sticky and uncomfortable.

Shen Qingxuan laughed as he side-eyed him with a glance full of boundless charm. How could he not know Yi Mo’s petty temperment? But he did not point it out. He tugged the silk cloth and wiped the water droplets off himself. As he wiped, he changed into dry clothes.

Only now did he remember to ask him, “How come you appeared here tonight?”

“I came to deliver a gift.” Yi Mo saw him take off all his clothes, revealing a thin, pale chest. “For your birth date, I ought to give a gift.”

“What did you get? Give it here. Ooh……It’s freezing.”

Shen Qingxuan undid his pants and was struggling to push them down when he was grabbed by his waist. The ice cold palm instantly froze him. Even his words were paused, his ears suffused red. “What are you doing? Tonight, I have been soaked in cold water and have taken a concubine. My wedding night is not to be spent with you in the candle-lit bridal chambers.”

Meeting by chance after several months of separation just to encounter such a matter like that, Shen Qingxuan also did not know why but he felt more familiar with him, as if they had never separated. A few months of time meant nothing for him and his words were even more at ease compared to the past.

“I am gifting something for the wedding night.” Yi Mo became somewhat more relaxed as well. He knelt down to help him push his thoroughly soaked pants to his ankles while his palm stroked that slim lower leg, lightly one minute and then heavily the next. In a flash, it was like they returned to that night. For the two of them, one wanted to “repay with his body”, and the other “was being repaid a debt of gratitude”. Then the atmosphere thickened with ambiguity, it seemed like his growing impropriety could be seen with the naked eye. Shen Qingxuan’s ears became redder and redder, his head also hung lower and lower.

At this moment, Yi Mo released his hand, and properly took off Shen Qingxuan’s shoes and socks for him. He wiped off all the water on his body, and also changed his clothes for him again. However, as he moved, it was unavoidable that his fingers would brush against Shen Qingxuan’s skin. When it was time to put on the inner pants, Yi Mo would purposefully and unintentionally brush against his legs. Shen Qingxuan’s waist trembled, still not daring to raise his head. Yet he could not help but stubbornly widen his eyes and quietly watch Yi Mo’s hand wander about on his body. His clearly defined fingers were slender and pale, picking up clothes and slipping them over his body. Every now and then, they would get entangled with the thin and soft ties of his clothes, inadvertently producing a touch of tenderness. What’s more, when Yi Mo tied the waist girdle, both his hands encircled him, and the fresh smell of plants puffed against the side of Shen Qingxuan’s neck: wet, ticklish, and hard to endure. These actions were clearly proper, yet they were exceptionally provocative. As Shen Qingxuan watched and watched, his body became pliant. He knew that this old snake’s mischievousness had been stoked, so he only pretended not to know, enduring as he waited for him to take back his hand. But he did not expect that he would be this unable to be teased and become excited this quickly. He lowered his head in shame, not making a sound.

Yi Mo was kneeling by Shen Qingxuan’s lower half, how could he not be aware of Shen Qingxuan’s current state? Yet, he also pretended that nothing had happened. Once he fully dressed Shen Qingxuan in his attire, he stood up and retrieved a small, sandalwood box. The long box was as big as his palm and the engraved pattern simple and succinct, but Shen Qingxuan did not know what kind of thing was kept in the box. Yi Mo handed it to the furiously blushing Shen Qingxuan. “I was originally gifting it to you as a birth date present, since I did not know you would take a concubine tonight.”

Shen Qingxuan’s breathing sped up a bit. He reached out to take it and quietly asked, “What is it?”

“Open it and see.”

-

Shen Qingxuan examined that box in his hand for a brief moment, and very quickly, he pushed open the lid. A puff of fragrant floral brushed against his face. In the box was a lavender colored paste that completely filled the inside of the box like a purple block of tofu. Shen Qingxuan studied it for quite a while, and even dipped the tip of his finger in to sniff at it, but he still did not know what this thing was.

He could only ask, “What is this? Food?”

Something seemed to flash across Yi Mo’s eyes, and he was quiet for a moment before he replied, “External use, not to be used orally.”

“For a wound? But it doesn’t look like it. It’s so fragrant and gives off a shiny glow like fat.” Shen Qingxuan murmured to himself, but still could not figure it out. He suddenly recalled that phrase he had just heard, “I am gifting something for the wedding night.” His brain seemed to have understood something and he stared foolishly at Yi Mo.

Yi Mo spoke again to explain, “I originally planned to celebrate your birth date and give it to you to use.”

Shen Qingxuan faltered. Yi Mo spoke too seriously, without a sign of anything else, yet, unexplainably, his words disclosed a touch of ambiguity. Shen Qingxuan suddenly realized. With a “bang,” he closed the box and tossed it to the side. “Who would give this thing as a birth date present? You are utterly shameless!”

“I said I originally came to deliver a present.” Yi Mo walked over and bent down, gradually moving closer. The two men were face to face, their chests close, and he spoke like they were intimate, “You know the present is not just this one thing. There is also a ‘tool’ that goes along with it.”

Shen Qingxuan could only feel a “boom” go off in his head. This time, even his neck reddened completely. His eyes dodged about, not daring to look at him at all, only retreating backwards. He cursed with anger and embarrassment, “You naughty snake! Y-you, I should not have helped you tonight! I should have let you be taken by that Daoshi!”

No matter how talented his tongue, he was no match for the other man’s shamelessness.

Even Shen Qingxuan’s tongue became twisted. He wanted to continue cursing him, but he could not find the words.

-

Yi Mo still had that kind of air of confidence, and after studying him for a moment, he suddenly got up and said, “I am leaving.”

“Eh?” Shen Qingxuan still had not managed to recover.

Yi Mo silently extended his hand, his fingertip slicing across his palm and blood suddenly came gushing out. Shen Qingxuan was startled, but before he could even speak, he saw that the blood did not follow the lines of his palm and flow down. Instead, it solidified where the cut was at, eventually solidifying into a pearl the size of a small ball, twinkling with a red light and taking physical shape.

-

Right after, Yi Mo picked up that blood pearl, and took Shen Qingxuan’s hand in his, placing the pearl in Shen Qingxuan’s palm. He said placidly:

“If you still want to repay me with your body, then apply that ointment on yourself and use this to call me.”

Shen Qingxuan’s face blushed again. He wanted to shoot back and say,Who would want to apply that stuff on themself and wait for you to come…… but when he raised his head, the man had already disappeared.

There was only that red pearl in his hand, giving off a faint, blood-tinged light.

~~~~~

thanks for da patience 💗 hopefully the curse of dropping yu she at chapter 15 is broken, chapter 16 is done but it's now in editing hell, yay...

[eggytranslations]

Hello! Someone asked me to pick up the translation for Yu She. Do you mind? I'm not even sure about actually doing it, but I thought I'd just ask you in advance. Pls feel free to say no, since I prob won't even have enough time. Another (more convenient) option is that I speed update a few chapters, and you continue to take it from there. If you want to reply in private, my novelupdates acc is Achiless. Please refuse if you want.

No, I’m still tling it! Literally working on 16 rn, thanks for letting me know! 😞

[eggytranslations]

Hii i hope you keep continue to tl this beautifull novel. I love your translations so much♡ pls have a nice day

Hi everybody, thanks for your patience with me. As always, my real life is super hectic and a lot of transitions are happening so not much time for omg but I want to reassure everyone that 15 is done, my editors are just taking another glance at it and I can review it for posting within the week. I’m slowly working on 16, but yeah hope everyone continues to enjoy the tl, maybe stockpile and read once I get more ahead?

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 14-Matchmaker

Content warning: knife

After tonight’s first try of love making, if it were anyone else, they would be extremely tired and cover up with a blanket to sleep, dead to the world. However, Shen Qingxuan had never been a light hearted person, his thoughts had always been heavy. In the past, even if he drank a soothing concoction, his sleep would be troubled. Tonight, his body and mind were both exhausted, tired to the point that he could not even open his eyes, but he still slept shallowly. He only had weird dreams for the entire night—in his dreams, he was being chased and did not know what kinds of evil spirits were behind him, gripping their sharp and shiny knives, wanting to kill him. In his dreams, though, his movement was actually agile, madly running without pause. He was so crazy happy for his own lithe legs that he more or less did not care that there was someone who wanted to kill him. Just as he was feeling happy, the scene suddenly changed. He did not know how he returned to that ice cave from long before. All around him was bone chilling ice. Both of his hands were clinging to a piece of ice, his skin even stuck on it, relying only on that stuck layer of bloody flesh to support his entire body. He knew that as soon as he slipped into there, he would never be able to stand up again; he also dreamed about his mother who seemed to be in his bedroom, holding his newborn younger brother and calling him little darling. He wanted to go over there to pull her away, but the room was pitch black, nothing could be seen. There was only the faint smell of sandalwood coming from his mother and wrapping around them, not dispersing……The whole night was full of these kinds of bizarre and motley dreams. Shen Qingxuan had the night sweats, he could not tell if he was awake or sleeping until even the night sky outside the window had turned a faint white before he fell into a deep sleep as his mind drifted, finally free.

This slumber lasted late into the morning, the sun even moved to high noon, and he had not even woken.

He had never ever been one to overindulge in sleep. His personal maidservant had brought a water basin and toiletries bright and early outside his door. In the past, before the sound of her footsteps had a chance to near the door, the clear sound of the brass bell would ring out. Therefore, she could not help but feel suspicious and also worried about his health. It was really just that, as chronic invalid of many years, if he had anything happen to him, she would not be able to shoulder the responsibility. So she quietly pushed open the doors to his personal wing and entered.

-

The girl joined the Shen family when she was five years old, and originally attended to Mother Shen personally. At the time she joined, she was young and sweet-looking, and also possessed a clever but eloquent tongue. Mother Shen had never taken her for an average servant to order about. When she saw that her own son had become withdrawn after his incident, she sent her to Shen Qingxuan’s quarters, thinking that she could be a companion for him. If there was a child around him to keep him company, perhaps his temperament would improve somewhat. Gradually, the girl grew into her blooming maidenhood. Mother Shen concluded that she would understand the bigger picture, and as a person, she was humble and good-natured, so she got the idea to giver her as a concubine to Shen Qingxuan to have a son or half a daughter. Although they would be born by a slave girl, they would still have the Shen family blood.

This idea of Mother Shen’s was known by everyone in the manor, therefore, as a servant girl, being in this room was not the same as usual.

Shen Qingxuan was also quite aware of his mother’s ideas, however, he really had no impure thoughts towards this girl who had grown up with him. He had also thought of clearing this up before, but could not find a suitable time. Moreover, the girl had attended to him these dozens of years after all, and could be considered a person he was close with, so it would not be good to hurt her feelings. He knew that he was withdrawn, too. He only grew up together with her, as master and servant, and was a little bit more pleasant to her so it was even more impossible for him to hurt her feelings with a hardened heart. So he had always pretended to not know.

The servant girl had not realized Shen Qingxuan’s intention to decline, merely believing it to be Young Master Shen’s thin skin. Plus, as a girl, it was untoward for her to verbalize it, so this matter kept getting put off.

In recent years, Mother Shen would pull the girl for some secret chats, and during their conversations, this matter would be included in the agenda.

Although she would be a concubine, this would also be the first time that Shen Qingxuan’s room would have an additional person, which counted as a happy event. The date was then set for after the year, without any discussion with Shen Qingxuan. But the girl knew in her heart so her words and actions had some added shyness and reservation, which meant there was some more impropriety as well.

-

She pushed open the door. Inside the room, the air was serene, and in the ray of light, some dust floated. It was still, without the sound of people, there were only fragments that were ripped into snowflakes covering the floor, as if it was declaring that inside this room, there had once been a tempestuous ripple. Upon seeing the fragmented pages all over the floor, the servant girl’s heart skipped a beat. After all, Shen Qingxuan may be withdrawn, but he never showed his anger or joy. Something like ripping books would be even more out of the question, and had never happened before.

She gingerly stepped over the fragments towards the bedside. The bed curtains were down, the scene inside vague and not very distinct. One could faintly see that the shape on the bed had no abnormalities. The man on the bed breathed regularly, deep asleep. He was totally unaware of her arrival.

-

The serving girl steadied her mind, reached out her jade-like hands, and raised a corner of the bed curtain. She swept a look inside them out of the corner of her eye, and scarlet immediately surged onto her rosy, oval face like a delicate but dazzling peach blossom during the third month of the year.

That bed was a complete mess. Wrinkles spread out in all directions on the embroidered brocade quilt, marks which were quite obviously wrung up by hands. In the air within the bed curtains, there flowed a scent that was hard to express yet instinctively made one’s face red and heart pound. Even more, the light teal quilt cover had a white stain that was already dry. What happened here before was quite obvious.

The servant girl turned around, wanting to escape, yet she suddenly halted her feet, thinking about this bare and untamed mountain. Moreover, there was only Shen Qingxuan on the bed. How could something so debauched happen? Even if it was a secret affair, this villa did not have any serving girls with prettier appearances than her. After a moment's hesitation, she carefully uncovered the blankets on Shen Qingxuan to check.

Shen Qingxuan did not think that there would be someone who would run into this scene. However, he was careful by nature, and after finishing, he struggled to put on his clothes by himself before he laid back down. His energy was not sufficient and he rarely did this himself, so his clothes were disheveled, but still intact. The serving girl only thought that the young master’s inner robes were inappropriately messy, yet she did not discover any major flaws. Then, with a flushed face, she also pulled up the quilt a little bit around Shen Qingxuan’s legs and peaked out of the corner of her eye. She only saw that the clothing was all on before she immediately put it back down. She thought it was because Shen Qingxuan had become lonely during the night and it was a result of playing with himself. But at the bottom of it all, her heart still had some suspicions. After all, the marks on the bed could not be made easily by a paralytic like Shen Qingxuan.

She really had no way to guess, so she closed the door and withdrew.

-

Shen Qingxuan had no awareness of this. This was the first time in how many years that he had slept so deeply that he did not even feel someone nearing his bed. When he opened his eyes, it was already noon and he could only feel that his body was fatigued and sore. It was a weariness that he had not felt in a very long time. That was a weariness that only came after he went hunting in the wilderness for a whole day with his father when he was a child. It had already been many years since he had experienced this sluggishness in his body and he even felt two parts novelty, as if he had come alive again.

He lay for a moment before he raised his hand to ring the bell for the maidservant. He rested against the head of the bed, using the tea water to clean his eyes, and then dipped into some green salt to rinse his mouth with before he washed his face and ate something. He lay back down on the bed again and closed his eyes while he thoroughly combed through the previous events.

He thought that naughty snake was truly too naughty. He did not know if he was like that by nature or if he was only mischievous like that towards him. If it was his natural disposition then that was that, but if he was only mischievous toward him——Shen Qingxuan’s face flushed red, burrowing into the covers. He had not sent for someone to change the bedding from the previous night, so it was still covered in stains, as if the scent was still there, utterly tantalizing.

He worked himself into a frenzy until he remembered that pair of eyes he had last seen, as cold as an eternal iceberg, letting him simmer in anxiety while he stood lofty and motionless. Thus his mood became dejected and he lay down for a while longer, dazedly wanting to sleep again. May impetuousness be the only thing left in my dreams, and nothing else.

-

When he woke up again on the second day, he recovered most of his energy. He sat back on his wheelchair, bent over the table, reading and painting, his face a picture of calmness, not revealing a thing. The maidservant attentively waited upon him to the side, simply unable to find a trace of a clue.

She did not understand that the Shen family’s eldest son standing in front of her now was no longer the same master from before. Two consecutive days of his body feeling peculiar reminded him at every moment that there had once been a night of debauchery. So debauched it was like a pipe dream. In his dream, he was loose and without shame to the point that even Shen Qingxuan himself did not wish to remember.

However, after a night of restlessness, Shen Qingxuan’s mood clearly recovered. The anxiety and dejection from before disappeared altogether as if washed clean away by that night’s tide of passion like a furious storm. Of course, all his hopes and needs had once been satisfied to the greatest degree. Thus, there was nothing to weigh upon his heart, he could be free of any distracting thoughts again, and peacefully carry on with his mortal life.

When there was no one around him, Shen Qingxuan would also reflect on this earlier agitation and his current tranquility. He could not help but suspect, Could it be from being alone for too long, causing an imbalance of yin and yang that made me repressed to this point? How else could he explain why he received carnal satisfaction and that squirming wild beast in his heart went right back into hiding.

Shen Qingxuan was formally considering the matter of marriage.

-

There was not a man who enjoyed being pressed beneath another man. Shen Qingxuan knew that he was not born as a cut-sleeve. He thought about when he was a young boy and how he had even vaguely admired a distant elder paternal cousin. He did not remember her voice or appearance anymore, but he still remembered as a little six year old, when his papa had joked about setting up a childhood arranged marriage and his embarrassed yet eager feeling—an age of ignorance, young and tender, not knowing anything. Even if they were teased by the adults, it could not equal the immediate delight he felt when he saw her.

At that time, he thought a wife as beautiful as a flower, senior officialdom and nobility would be his life. No matter what happened, his feet would most definitely be on a correct and grand path.

But now the more he walked this path, the more strange it became. Shen Qingxuan could not help but scoff as he thought about how very odd it was. So he had dealings with a yaoguai, alright, and he even touched upon the delight of Longyang, moreover, it was extremely enjoyable.

He was truly happy. Although it was his first time, jarring and out of sorts, it could not compare against his willingness. Even seeing Yi Mo’s face could cause an unlimited happiness and joy.

But it was not like he was foolish, he could not even pretend to be dumb. He could see Yi Mo’s reluctance with just one look. He did not untie his belt. As soon as he sent him to his peak, he withdrew and left, his attitude high above and aloof. Rather than calling it love making, it was much closer to charity.

What’s more, one was human and one was yao, one had intentions and one had none. The distance between their worlds was large enough for him to willingly admit defeat. He was well aware that he did not have the power to bridge this immense chasm. There were some things that even yao were powerless to do, much less humans.

-

Ever since that night, it had been many days since Yi Mo visited again. Shen Qingxuan’s appearance contained a smile, looking with ease through the window at a bright and blooming thicket of flowers and plants in the courtyard while he counted the days in his heart. His birth date was nearly here, and he was about to leave the mountains within the next two days. Every year around this time he had to return to the manor to reunite with his family. Then he will simply return. In the days to come, he will marry a wife and have sons, be his Shen family Eldest Young Master, be a very ordinary, insignificant mortal. And not admire that snake yao he could only see, but never catch up to.

It was also odd that when he thought of this he did not really feel much sadness. There were only some feelings of loss, as if there was an empty place in his heart. Yet he was not sad and not happy, it was like he had resigned to his fate.

Five days later, Shen Qingxuan sat in the horse carriage while the servant boys followed behind, picking some wild foods. His personal maidservant accompanied him, sitting inside the carriage, and the carriage man drove the purplish red horse, shouting. The party of people mightily set off down the mountain. On the way, Shen Qingxuan lifted the door curtain and turned back to look. He only saw that mountain top that towered into the sky get further and further away, further and further away. At last, he only saw the verdant mountain peak, one half of it immersed in the heavens, one half was blocked by the nearby scenery. Shen Qingxuan looked for a very long time before he decisively and resolutely let go of the fabric curtain, sitting properly again, his body following the rolling of the wheels, lightly rocking. The depths of his eyes were as placid as water, still not wavering at all from beginning to end.

-

The Shen family residence had just been renovated last year. The curling eaves, new tiles, and eight zhang tall fire wall were still snow white, although a year had passed. There was not even enough time for the weeds to grow in between the walls, roof, mortar, tiles, and eaves. A picture of cleanliness and splendor. The horse carriage followed the road eastward along the firewall, and then advanced for a moment more before turning to the southern side door with a moon-shaped door arch. A newly painted pair of vermillion doors opened inwards. They were currently wide open, with two lines of neat and well-dressed servant boys and servant girl’s standing next to the doors. At the head, stood the old steward who had come to greet him dressed in a green shirt and robe.

The horse carriage stopped and the maidservant lifted the carriage curtain. Shen Qingxuan sat inside while he cracked a smile at the old steward. Then he extended his hand, resting it on the old man’s shoulder while also calling over two manservants to support him as he got out of the horse carriage and sat on the rattan sedan chair.

There was naturally someone to lead away the carriage horse to feed on fodder. Four servants carried the bamboo sedan with Shen Qingxuan on it, passing who knows how many courtyards, halls, verandas, and passages. They only lowered the bamboo sedan once they arrived at the courtyard entrance of the main hall, and switched to a wheelchair, which was pushed by another servant. The wood wheels rolled over the sleek and cleanly polished pebble-paved path and passed another two courtyards before they finally entered the main hall.

Master Shen as well as the madams and relatives were all waiting in the hall. Only when a corner of Shen Qingxuan’s crescent white robe peeked out from behind the trunk, did they put down their tea cups and go up to greet him.

-

Shen Qingxuan resided in the southern courtyard, and after eating dinner, he passed through the garden before reaching his little building. All the candles had already been lit inside the small, nan wood building and the interior furniture and decor had been completely changed, not dirtied by a speck of dust, twinkling with a clean shine. It was no longer the simple small room of the mountain villa. Instead, it was designed as a multilevel building, and even the bedroom had three doors. The innermost room was, of course, Shen Qingxuan’s, the middle room was where the personal maidservants slept, and the outermost room was for the nighttime maidservant when they needed to boil water to refill the tea.

Shen Qingxuan had become used to a simple lifestyle, and at first, returning home to over-elaborate etiquette was still a little hard to adjust to. He was annoyed internally, however, he did not express it externally. He called for someone to wait on him as he washed up as early as he could, and rested right after he finished.

He woke early the next morning and said his morning greetings to his father and mother. When Shen Qingxuan arrived at Mother Shen’s room, he stayed afterwards and discussed marriage matters with her.

Mother Shen knew early on that he had no desire to take a wife, so she had originally abandoned this idea, thinking that she would just find a maidservant for him and that would be it. Who knew that this time, Shen Qingxuan himself would mention it. In her happiness, she first went in front of the Buddha to burn three sticks of incense, and also kowtowed, saying “Buddha’s blessings” all the while. Then she summoned someone to call for Shen Qingxuan’s second mother, to discuss together the important matter of Shen Qingxuan’s marriage. Which family’s daughter was of a suitable age, which family’s daughter had a suitable temperament, and so on.

Shen Qingxuan only smiled and wrote on the paper, All these decisions are up to you, mother.

The pair of sisters discussed for a moment before Second Yiniang suddenly said, “Xuan’er, that maidservant in your room, have you thought about how you want to deal with her?”

Shen Qingxuan blanked then he immediately knew she was mentioning his own personal maidservant. After thinking for a brief moment, he agreed, writing,

That’s fine, too.

-

Three days later, the matter was finalized. The other party was the young lady of the Wang family in the same city. Her childhood nickname was called Hui Niang. She was just 16 years of age and their families were well-matched in social status.

The Wang family used to be a large and influential family, and although they were already in decline now, at the end of the day, a lean camel is larger than a horse. On top of that, the Wang family principles have always been proper. Young Lady Hui was also a respectable girl from a notable family and they had previously seen her appearance, although it was not one that could sink fish and fell geese, it was still gentle and amiable. Mother Shen then invited a matchmaker to act as an intermediate and immediately sent over betrothal gifts and money. The wedding day was set for next year after mid autumn. As for that maidservant, it would be better to marry her over and add her to the family sooner rather than later, after all, she had been by his side since childhood and long ago accompanied him by his pillow side. Just in case the young lady of the Wang family was someone who could not tolerate others, she could at least have some higher ground and not be bullied.

As for the day to take in the concubine, Mother Shen decided, “Since there will be the festivities of a birthdate, why not add to the happiness.”

The marriage date was then set for the day of Shen Qingxuan’s birth. Use a small sedan to carry that maidservant in through the side door and it would be counted as giving her a minor title.

These words were passed onto Shen Qingxuan, and he remained smiling, still replying with the same sentence, It is all up to mother to decide.

The matter of taking a wife and concubine was thus settled. From beginning to end, Shen Qingxuan did not at all let himself think about that elegant and unmatched person on the mountain again.

~~~~~

……don't look at me TAT, going to stop apologizing about lateness bc i don't want to associate more negative feelings with translation, but just know i feel sad and sorry when i miss deadlines……anyways, please enjoy this (rawdogged-unedited-by-another-pair-of-eyes) chapter. next chapter in three weeks on August 1 (fingers crossed) bc it's super long too………………………

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 13-Voice Loss

Content warning: nsfw, knife

Shen Qingxuan did not expect that doing this thing would be like this, with such a hard to describe taste that could not be put into words. Every time that thing viciously plunged itself in, hitting his blazing depths just so, it would bring about waves of crippling ecstasy, making a person crave even more. His waist had already softened completely. Under Yi Mo, he could not help but sway along with his rhythm, letting out broken cries. In response to the excessive friction, moist fluids secreted from his inner passage, and in this primitive rhythm, wet squelches sounded out. As the time drew on, the sticky sound of water gradually grew louder, adding to the obscene atmosphere. Looking above him with a blurred gaze, Shen Qingxuan instinctively arched his waist, letting his ass be raised up high to make it easier for the other man to plunder him. He only felt like that place which was usually ignored was now being attacked by waves of tingling numbness, diverging as they spread throughout his limbs and body, his entire body in ecstasy.

“Feels that good?” Yi Mo looked down at his lax expression from above, and, in a mocking manner, lightly pinched the peak on Shen Qingxuan’s chest. “Listen for yourself, it’s really wet.”

A murmured “wu,” and Shen Qingxuan hugged his shoulders tighter. After he regained his senses, he refused to respond to him. He was also so embarrassed that his entire face was completely red, Exactly, why is it so wet? That place is not even used to do this, and yet it had become this wet. It is simply inconceivable.

His waiting did not yield a response, so Yi Mo stopped, stilling inside his body, motionless again, only satisfied if he could force an answer out of him.

Shen Qingxuan had just reached the best part, but with this sudden halt, he nearly lost his mind. His waist almost immediately started to rock instinctively, rubbing in a coquettish manner, his mouth moaning since he refused to satisfy his wish, yet he could not endure the tides of desire which were like a flood. The secret place that now knew this sweet taste could not be appeased and would not stop. The place that had been passively receiving was now actively tightening like a small, wet and soft mouth, tenderly enveloping Yi Mo’s root, continuously sucking.

This sort of aura forced even Yi Mo to lightly knit his brows but he still did not move. Compared to sensual desire, which was something he could be well with or without, teasing Shen Qingxuan was a little more entertaining to him.

Shen Qingxuan knew this point and immediately felt irked. He practically whipped up his head insolently and bit him on the neck, fiercely, almost seeing blood. “Are you going to move or not?” Shen Qingxuan asked, the desire going to his head. He did not even realize what kind of shocking thing he was doing at the moment. Yi Mo raised his eyebrows, looking at the Elder Young Master of the Shen family who was currently “forcing rape”, his tone was rather cheerful as he asked, “Move how?”

“You......” Shen Qingxuan started speaking, but could not get the words out. His feelings of lust and “being paid back” surged up together. He could only feel as if a giant rock was pressing down on his heart; angered, his eyes turned red all of a sudden. He said irately, “That’s enough, you!”

Yi Mo saw him in this state, and understood the principle of quitting while ahead, so he pulled at the little peaks on Shen Qingxuan’s chest, his fingertip kneading them as he exclaimed, “This time I am really servicing you.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingxuan turned his face away to look at the gauzy green bed curtain. It was unknown what he was thinking about.

Yi Mo started to move once again, this time he did not tease him, thrusting his hips to force open a crack in that tender and moist secret place, fiercely penetrating it. Each time deeper than the last, each time harder than the last. The sound of water started up again, flooding the small space enveloped by the bed curtain.

Shen Qingxuan had previously been teased to anger, and he did not want to pay any mind to him. So Yi Mo moved as he bent down, one hand fixed on his leg that could not feel and one hand wrapping behind his neck, to take the man into his embrace. Except, he still asked, “Am I making you feel good?”

Doing this thing and being angry, Shen Qingxuan himself thought it was ridiculous. He originally planned to give in, make up to how they were before and properly finish doing this thing before talking about anything else. Who could have guessed that Yi Mo’s movements were clearly coaxing, yet he would ask such a thing again. Shen Qingxuan’s face did not know whether it should be red or if it should be black.

It was truly hard for it to be red or black. When he encountered this old snake yao, there really were not any tricks he could employ. After these thoughts passed through his mind, Shen Qingxuan shut his eyes and answered seriously and through clenched teeth, “Very good!”

“Since it’s good, why is there no reaction here?” Yi Mo’s hand slid between their bodies and took Shen Qingxuan’s thing in his hand to play with. “Are you lying to me?” “......Probably pissed off because of you.” As Shen Qingxuan said this, he laughed as well, embracing his neck again, and said lowly into Yi Mo’s ear, “If you play with it, then it will have a reaction.”

“Here?” Yi Mo applied pressure to the soft thing in his hand that was still leaking clear fluid non stop and gave it a pinch while he also lifted his hips, and after a pause, vigorously drove himself in, asking, “Or here?”

Shen Qingxuan let out an “ah,” his whine was long and saccharine sweet, possessing a wantonness that shocked even himself. He swiftly bit his lower lip, stifling the sound before he lifted his hips with a tremble. His voice was like a mosquito buzz, “I want it all.” Then he paused briefly, using his cheek to nuzzle Yi Mo’s cheek, and said with a haltingly hoarse voice, “Kiss me.”

At this moment, all his clothes had been taken off, legs wide open, ass raised, and wet sounds came bubbling from between his legs. The clear white curve of his waist was also bent into an inconceivable angle, working hard to receive pleasure as he was fucked until his long hair fell loose and his eyes contained lust. His appearance was clearly scandalous, yet he still haltingly said this line. His words were grief-stricken and sentimental in a way that was unable to be hidden. It was even a few degrees more obscene than a brothel prostitute who acted coquettish all day. Yet it possessed no fakery, his obscenity was sincere and candid.

Yi Mo did not hesitate, he lowered his head and kissed him. As soon as their lips touched, Shen Qingxuan rushed to meet him. It seemed he was just about to reach the peak, even his tongue was so fierce it lost its wits. Every few moments, soft gasps and low whimpers that could not be held back would escape. He entangled their lips and tongues together as if he had gone crazy. The saliva that could not be swallowed in time followed the corner of their mouths as it slowly trickled down, leaving a clear path of wetness in its wake. His waist rutted in his embrace like a fish that was about to drown to death in the next moment, continuing to demand and accept.

With his top and bottom being sucked on by two pairs of wet hot mouths at the same time, even if Yi Mo was unperturbed, he still developed a hallucination that he had stepped into a marsh, like he was treading on cotton, involuntarily absorbed as he fell in, unable to break away.

Finally, he could not hold it in. Yi Mo shifted his lips away, his face revealed some sliver of his mood while he ruthlessly said, “So uninhibited like this, do you like being fucked by me this much?” As soon as the words left his lips, the uncontrollable angry sentiment contained in them surprised even Yi Mo when he heard. He had calmly cultivated for a thousand years, and had also entered the mortal world to travel for hundreds of years, since when did he develop this kind of emotion that he could not control? A thread of brutality flashed across his eyes, Yi Mo inclined his head to look at that face that was not unfamiliar but also not very imprinted in his mind. Thankfully, Shen Qingxuan was too lost in pleasure at this moment and did not sense anything. He even moaned “wu wu” like he agreed with his previous question.

Like he was saying, Yes, I do.

His face recovered its unknowing and unfeeling aloof expression again. Yi Mo rocked his hips quickly, driving in multiple times, his hand also cooperating to control Shen Qingxuan’s thing, which had become swollen red but could not come no matter what, in his palm. He skillfully moved and then heard Shen Qingxuan moan lengthily, almost carrying a crying inflection. His whole body suffused with a blush, trembling like a leaf swaying in the wind. Even his back was arched up, relying only on the strength of his hips to spring into an arched bow. He came in his hand. At the same time, he opened his eyes.

Their gazes collided. It was like a millennia old glacier and a volcano that had just turbulently erupted, the lava colliding and inciting an intense roar. And then, the iceberg was the same as before; the lava dispersed completely. Everything returned to its original state.

Yi Mo withdrew his member and pulled away.

The bedside candle flame reflected that pair of deep black and ice cold eyes, without desire, without feeling. He said a farewell, disappearing like wispy smoke from Shen Qingxuan’s bedroom.

Shen Qingxuan lay by himself for a long time and then pulled over a messy quilt from the side to cover up. He thought to himself, Next time it would be better to do this thing in the dark. No need for such brightness. No need to see those eyes remain cold and bare from beginning to end so clearly.

As he thought about it, he started to laugh. Hahahaha, burst after burst of laughter. Although his mouth was open, there was no sound.

It was as if the whole world had lost its voice.

~~~~~

sorry it's...late oTL posting Sunday nights now! Trying my best but irl has got me...also this chapter is raw dogged (unedited) oops but hopefully i'll make the deadline !

also thanks @arizona-trash-bag ! i highly recommend the og raws! it’s so much better and faster 😭 !! learning to read chinese thru bl is the way to go!!!!!

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 12-Naughty Snake

Content warnings: NSFW, please engage at your own risk, thank you.

Shen Qingxuan just now realized that it was only when they were kissing that the always indifferent Yi Mo would express a different emotion.

When they kissed, Yi Mo would first inch closer, little by little, and then his lips would wander about as they brushed against his, as if they were testing out the sensation of touch. After slowly brushing against his lips until they were feverish, would Yi Mo then touch the tip of his tongue to his teeth, as if he had lost his patience. Without hesitation, Shen Qingxuan closed his eyes and obediently parted his lips, letting him in to explore. His arm also lifted up, unbidden, to wrap around the back of Yi Mo’s neck, appearing to completely hand over his trust.

However this kind of faith was not developed overnight. He went from knowing to understanding to finally breaking down his guard against a different species, against a yao, trusting him with his whole heart. But he did not know when it started. At the same time he had given this yao beast his trust, he had also handed over something else.

Perhaps it was when Yi Mo silently and patiently exchanged written words with him. Perhaps it was when Yi Mo said “Treat me well, and that is goodness.” Perhaps it was when Yi Mo promised to heal him back to normal, unbothered by his greedy demands……not even Shen Qingxuan himself knew at what point he had begun to possess this kind of desire.

But this thought had been purposely misunderstood as a simple and straightforward matter of repaying a debt.

Since he had insisted that this was paying back a debt, then he will just repay his debt. After a second thought, Shen Qingxuan set down his passivity and stretched out his tongue, twisting it to directly entangle Yi Mo’s, and kissed him with force.

Yi Mo lifted his eye to look at him for a moment; Shen Qingxuan’s expression was still as docile as before, but with an added smile. Yi Mo studied this smile, pausing a moment before he lowered his gaze again. Suddenly, the entanglement between their lips was no longer leisurely like lukewarm water. The intensity between them came to a boil all at once, as the tip of Yi Mo’s tongue roughly swiped and savored the inside of his mouth . The exchange of their breaths was mysterious and subtle, immediately forcing Shen Qingxuan’s inexperienced attack to abandon its arms while the tongue that was so bold before curled away in retreat. Even like this, Yi Mo was still unsatisfied. After he thoroughly tasted the other man’s mouth, Yi Mo twined his tongue around that evasive, tender tongue and sucked on it like he was squeezing something to twist out more nectar. Even when he would occasionally release him, he would act like a cat toying with a mouse, waiting for Shen Qingxuan to retreat back just a little before he would replay his old tricks, harassing Shen Qingxuan’s tongue once more, and everything would start again.  

Shen Qingxuan only felt that he could barely breathe. The clarity of his mind was gradually corroded by dizziness. That dexterous tongue was much too unbridled and so domineering that it did not allow him to hide or retreat, continuously forcing him into a dead end, with no intention of releasing him. The occasional escape was nothing more than a teasing ploy to catch him all the more thoroughly. Yet even as Shen Qingxuan felt dizzy, he enjoyed this kind of fervent passion. It was only during these moments that Yi Mo would reveal a sliver of his original nature. So Shen Qingxuan embraced him even tighter, letting the desire unfurl from their entangled lips and tongues. 

They messily exchanged hot and humid breaths, but at last, Shen Qingxuan could not overcome this tortuous current of passion, and a quiet groan escaped from his throat.

Yi Mo only stopped once he heard this groan, and then reached his hand out to briefly torment Shen Qingxuan’s parted lips which glistened with wetness. He asked without any visible emotion, “Feel good?”

Shen Qingxuan came to in a daze. He studied Yi Mo in the light of the bedside candle, before he laughed again. “You have serviced me like this, undressed me, and all the while been a beauty in my arms. How could I not feel good?”

Yi Mo was toying with his lips again, his force slightly heavier this time. Only after ravaging the already red and swollen lips once more between his fingers did Yi Mo continue to say, “This is the only thing in the world that can shut this mouth of yours. Nothing else can do it.”

Shen Qingxuan turned his head, and with a snort of laughter, bit the fingers by his lips. He imprinted his teeth marks on them as if venting his anger, yet his heart could not bear it, so he extended his tongue to playfully lick the marks as if to comfort him. The slippery pink tongue acted a lot like a snake, charmingly sucking and playing with that pale finger. It oozed an inexplicably sensual quality, causing Yi Mo to narrow his eyes.

Only once he had licked Yi Mo's fingers until they were dripping wet and glistening did Shen Qingxuan loosen his mouth. With that same smiling appearance, he asked, “Did that feel good?”

This immediately made Yi Mo reach out his hand to thrust his wet fingers into Shen Qingxuan’s mouth, pinching that troublesome tongue that did not know what was good for it, which started another round of play。

The feeling of his tongue being obscenely toyed with made Shen Qingxuan burn red. He also knew that he was much too bold tonight. He had neither etiquette nor shame, going against the norm in a way that would appall the world. Yet there was an excitement to breaking fresh ground, a frenzy that burned all the way through him.

Besides, it was only him and Yi Mo, one man and one yao, behind these bed curtains. With Yi Mo’s skills, there was no way he would let other people peep and overhear anything. So he might as well abandon dogma and etiquette. If he had gone mad, then so be it.

It was not like this was the first day he had lost his mind, either. Since that hot spring bath, he already knew that he had gone mad.

Yi Mo played with his tongue with one hand while his other hand drifted downwards, his movements still unhurried as he untied Shen Qingxuan’s pants and tugged them down. Shen Qingxuan’s face turned even redder once he sensed his movements. Despite this, he still did not stop him, and instead, did his best to lift his hips to make it easier for him.

Yi Mo’s palm stroked that erect thing and then appraised it, “Not bad.”

Shen Qingxuan closed his mouth and harshly bit the two fingers in his mouth. He mumbled unintelligibly, “I have no need for your appraisal.”

“Except, it is just a bit inexperienced.” Yi Mo completely ignored the minute pain from his finger, instead curling it to then flick the shy tip once, prompting Shen Qingxuan to moan softly while Yi Mo remarked, “To look like this but never experience human affairs, what a shame.”

If Shen Qingxuan could move his knee right now, he would surely give him a harsh kick to alleviate his shameful embarrassment. Regrettably, his knees as well as his calves could not budge in the slightest. He could not even shift his legs to cover up and reject his gaze. He could only stay still like that and display all the minute details of his secret parts.

Except it was truly too embarrassing. At last, Shen Qingxuan could not put up with it anymore and struggled to free his hand, tugging Yi Mo’s hem as he asked, “Are you going to do it or not?”

The front of Yi Mo’s robe was being grabbed, but he did not bother to brush the hand off, only switching to his finger that was covered in saliva to wag in front of Shen Qingxuan. Then, he gripped Shen Qingxuan’s member in one fell swoop and quickly pumped a couple times before he replied earnestly to Shen Qingxuan, whose waist had given out on him,“Did I not say your lust was profuse? Just admit it. You're this desperate, do you want it that badly?”

When he realized that he was being teased again, Shen Qingxuan did not even have the energy to get mad, and could only glare at him for a moment before he simply turned his head away from him. He thought to himself, This snake is truly naughty to his core. In this whole wide world, it is impossible to find a person naughtier than him. Oh no, he’s a snake. An old snake yao!

But down there, it actually felt so good. Even as he was cursing this “old snake yao” tens of thousands of times internally, at this moment only Yi Mo could give him such clearly pleasurable joy. Quite disgracefully, Shen Qingxuan turned back his face and pulled Yi Mo lower so he could embrace his neck once again, then let out a few soft moans.

Yi Mo’s hands were immensely skilled, yet he only gave him a small taste of sweetness before his hand quickly crept down behind, circling towards Shen Qingxuan’s backside. The tip of his index finger slowly played with the tightly-shut, tender entrance.

When he felt that place being toyed with, Shen Qingxuan suddenly raised his head, seeming scared, and no longer had the mind to hold onto him. With his elbows propped, he lifted his torso, and with an expression akin to someone looking at a monster, he stared at the spot between his legs where a hand was currently moving about, in and out of view.

“……” Shen Qingxuan watched for a long moment, then shifted his gaze straight to Yi Mo’s face before speaking in a parched voice, “……Are you really going to use that place?”

Yi Mo did not reply, his murky eyes watching him motionlessly.

“……” Shen Qingxuan bit his lip, his face flashing green and red. He murmured quietly, “I had considered it, but did not expect it to be true.”

After waiting a bit longer, Shen Qingxuan lay back down again, this time with his arm covering his face so that half his face could not even be seen by the wind. He said with a tiny voice, “I am afraid you will not be able to enter that place. Find something……” Shen Qingxuan could not finish the rest of his words nor could he speak again. This time he had been well and truly, completely and wholly, embarrassed into quieting.

Completely unfazed,Yi Mo looked around and locked his eyes on the oil lamp on the table. He only had to crook his finger for the burning oil lamp to slowly drift over and stop near the bed curtain. Yi Mo lifted the bed curtain, moistened his finger with some somewhat warm lamp oil, and then parted Shen Qingxuan’s legs open even more. His fingertip smeared the lamp oil over him, slowly rubbing and pressing the little pucker of Shen Qingxuan’s entrance.

Shen Qingxuan changed his position, clutching the quilt beside him to cover his face, this time all the way up to his chin. His entire head was buried into the quilt and could not be found again.

A trace of some humor flashed across Yi Mo’s eyes. Yi Mo still had his head lowered and extended a finger into Shen Qingxuan’s entrance which had loosened somewhat. Under his hands, Shen Qingxuan was visibly stiff, his body strained tightly as if he did not know what he should do, foolishly frozen there.

Yi Mo crooked an eyebrow and slapped his ass. He withdrew his hand to dip into some hot oil again and thrusted in once more. Moreover, he did not halt this time, thrusting in and out repeatedly. During this whole ordeal, Shen Qingxuan did not make even a squeak of sound. He only made his body pliant and let him have his way. It was not until three of those fingers entered, when Shen Qingxuan struggled a bit, appearing uncomfortable.

Yi Mo also did not add another finger. He bent down, and as he thrusted, he pulled back the blankets Shen Qingxuan had covered himself with, and pulled away the arm his face was hiding behind as well. He commented, “So this is how you repay me with your body? You seem more like a tortoise.”

Shen Qingxuan snorted, not bothering to lift his head. Instead, he clutched at his shoulders and buried his head in his neck. His body, in turn, had become accustomed to the finger that was making a mess of him, the thrusts in and out not completely hard to bear. Plus, the cold woody scent on Yi Mo smelled intimate, so after Shen Qingxuan nestled in his neck for a moment, he slowly lifted his hips and moved with the rhythm of that finger.

Yi Mo knew that he was feeling good, but still did not rush. He continued to move his wrist and played for a stick of incense’s time until Shen Qingxuan could not stop moaning. The part that had once been frightened into withdrawing also hesitatingly stood up, the head leaking clear fluids.

For Shen Qingxuan, the increasingly heated feeling in his body was extremely foreign, yet unspeakably desirable. As soon as that finger paused, Shen Qingxuan started to feel empty. He finally could not hold out anymore and lifted his face to say quietly, “Come in.”

“You cannot bear it anymore?” Yi Mo pulled away his hand.

Shen Qingxuan hesitated for the briefest moment, but then nodded his head honestly. “En.”

Yi Mo turned around. Although the robes he wore looked unkempt, he was completely dressed, and did not intend to waste time undressing, merely undoing his underpants. He gripped Shen Qingxuan’s waist and spread his legs to their greatest degree before pushing down his own pants a bit, aiming his bulging cock, and plunging inside.

Shen Qingxuan let out a muffled groan. It was like he was being tortured, his entire body rigid and in such pain that his mind turned blank. He did not even dare to breathe.

Who knows how long had passed before he recovered a tiny bit. He relaxed his body again. Shen Qingxuan was pale-faced as he looked up at Yi Mo, his tone helpless as he said, “Go easier on me. With this ferocity, you will not be able to play for very long before I breathe my last breath.”

Yi Mo did not respond. He reached out his hand to feel the place where the two of them joined and borrowed the light of the bedside candle to study it before saying, “You are more than fine. You did not even bleed.”

At first, Shen Qingxuan was stunned, and then his colorless face turned entirely red. He scolded, “You naughty snake!”

Yi Mo lifted his hips and then forcefully drove them in again, pounding into Shen Qingxuan until the latter was like a fish out of water, who no longer had the notion to yell at him anymore. He did it a number of times, before Shen Qingxuan became accustomed to it again, and, soon enough, he also got into the mood. Shen Qingxuan embraced this naughty snake’s neck as he lifted his waist and let out small and broken moans.

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 11-Fate

Content warnings: n/a, maybe prequel to some nsfw?

The night was deathly still; even the candlelight barely flickered.

In this meager space, Shen Qingxuan’s voice was soft, yet it shrouded every corner, his expression serious, even solemn.

With such an expression he had asked, “Shall our separate paths converge into one?”

Yi Mo was somewhat surprised.

How could he not be surprised?

He was originally just a snake, and only because of his cold and unfeeling personality, was he chosen and enlightened by someone who had already ascended to the heavens as an immortal.

He had cultivated for thousands of years, and after one more heavenly trial, he, too, could shed his mortal body and be born anew. Joining the immortal ranks was just a matter of another two or three hundred years. But now there was this mortal, Shen Qingxuan, saying clearly and resolutely: Shall our separate paths converge into one?

Where could that possibly be, Heaven or Earth?

He could tell that Shen Qingxuan did not have the constitution needed for cultivation, which had something to do with his fate. Because of this fate, Shen Qingxuan was destined for prosperity and abundance beyond compare, yet he could only drift about in the mortal realm, endlessly reincarnating. Although he was in dire straits at this moment, it was just a fleeting period of misfortune.

From the first time they met, Yi Mo understood that this was his and Shen Qingxuan’s fate.

They were destined to meet, otherwise why would he, who had always hid himself in the mountains, enter the Shen family’s courtyard on a whim, go so far as to coil himself around the railing in his true snake form to bask in the sun, and let Shen Qingxuan drench him with a cup of hot tea?

Helping him was just a matter of yielding to fate.

As the mortals would say, he was Shen Qingxuan's , fated helper, and assisting him through adversity would allow him to obtain merits as well.

This was inherently a good thing for both parties, and after Shen Qingxuan overcame this calamity, he would naturally follow the currents of fate. In the future when he became some high official, he would no longer have anything to do with him. Yi Mo could care less about the wealth and status of the mortal realm, but Shen Qingxuan’s fate was predestined. With a body weighed down by oppressive, mortal bones, he would never be able to transcend this world.

Moreover, a mortal's life lasted less than a hundred years, and to him a hundred years was just a drop in the ocean. In the future, when Shen Qingxuan died of old age, and his bones returned to dust, he would still look like this, wandering throughout the world. How could their paths converge into one?

Mortals, they were always so greedy. They wanted to live long and healthy, enjoy fame and fortune, and even dared to meet with a yao at the end of the road.

Yi Mo slowly walked over until he stood with his head bowed over Shen Qingxuan, and after intensely scrutinizing him for a long while, he remarked, "I really underestimated you.”

Shen Qingxuan knew that his words were rash, even offensive, but even he did not know why Yi Mo would say something so out of the blue. At this moment, Yi Mo’s expression was as indifferent as usual. Unable to find any clues from his face, Shen Qingxuan decided to take this sentence as a compliment.

He did not expect Yi Mo to drily continue after a pause, “Although you are so thin and weak that even the wind can blow you away, your lust is awfully strong.”

Shen Qingxuan, who did not hear clearly at first, stared at him blankly with his face still turned up. When it dawned on him, a brilliant cloud abruptly blazed across his face. Suddenly unable to speak coherently, he berated hoarsely, "W-what nonsense are you talking about!”

Yi Mo, still standing with his hands clasped behind his back without a single ripple on his face, merely uttered each word slowly, "I saved your life, and promised to restore you to full health, so it is only natural that you want to repay me with your body. But I have not shown any indecent desire, and yet you are already this eager. You have truly surprised me.”

His words were spoken clearly and distinctly, yet they churned Shen Qingxuan’s mind into a muddied bog. He knew perfectly well something was not right, yet his tongue twisted into a knot, rendering him unable to utter a sound.

As he watched Shen Qingxuan’s control rupture into a blush across his face, Yi Mo raised his hand after deliberating for a moment, fingers delicately curled, and touched that shamefully hot face with his fingertips. It seemed as if he were inspecting something and toying with it at the same time. His actions were impetuous, yet Shen Qingxuan was in a complete daze. He did not even think to dodge, and allowed those ice-cold fingers to touch his burning cheeks.

They were so cold. Cold and icy, like lifeless porcelain. Yet soft and nimble, a living being devoid of warmth.

A snake yao—not even a human. Shen Qingxuan truly could not make sense of his deep infatuation. He could not help but gaze at his face through half-lidded eyes, taking in those picturesque and indescribably beautiful features. Then his heart began to flutter in his chest, beating so quickly that it did not make sense. But since when did this world ever make sense?

While in a world of his own, Yi Mo continued to graze his cheeks with his fingertips, taking in their warmth, the delicate skin suffused with a radiant blush. With such thin skin, how could he be this shameless? He opened his palm, turned his wrist, and let his ice-cold palm thoroughly cover that heat source. Extremely warm. A foreign yet familiar warmth flowed through his palm, and he could even feel the faint pulsing of tiny vessels beneath the delicate skin. A moment later, his palm slowly traced Shen Qingxuan’s face, moving from his forehead to his cheekbones, then to his cheeks, before finally resting on his sharp jaw. After enduring those ice-cold caresses for a short while, Shen Qingxuan's face not only did not cool down, but instead grew even hotter until it was scalding to the touch.

Yi Mo was a yao who had lived for over two thousand years; what strange stories had he not heard? Yet he did not understand how this half-crippled mortal of merely twenty or so years could have such ambitions. Nevermind that they were both men, he dared to entertain such delusions between a human and a yao.

Aiya—this truly made him open his eyes.

Absorbed in his own world, Yi Mo caressed him for a while before leisurely retracting his hand and remarking, "Thinner, but still smooth.”

Shen Qingxuan finally reacted with a low "Ah" and instinctively shrank back, coming to his senses and scolding at once, "You think this is a business transaction that you need to inspect before buying?”

Yi Mo raised his eyes and looked straight at him. "So you want to repay me with your body, yet not allow me to appraise the quality?”

Although Shen Qingxuan was still blushing, he had regained his wits for the most part. Seeing Yi Mo speak so directly and shamelessly, with just the two of them alone in this room and almost no distance in between them, Shen Qingxuan decided that he might as well lay down his shame. He murmured, “According to your words, I am only repaying your kindness. But have you ever seen a man offer up his body in the name of gratitude? There are no such records in all those books.”

However as he spoke, Yi Mo stretched out his hand again and untied his belt.

As soon as his belt loosened, Shen Qingxuan pursed his lips and swallowed back what he had wanted to say. All at once his heart realized—It was not that Yi Mo had misunderstood.

He had not misunderstood. Rather, Yi Mo had understood him so well, that he deliberately credited his feelings as mere gratitude. In this way of borrowing and returning, coming and going, repaying a debt was much easier to resolve, without too much entanglement.

––Yi Mo did not want to be entangled with him at all.

Once Shen Qingxuan understood this point, his heart felt like it had been drenched with ice water, the chill permeating his core. Even he could not describe his emotions. But he was somewhat calculating after all, and he recovered without betraying his feelings. He could not compete with that shrewd and experienced old yao. Whatever he says, goes, and Shen Qingxuan could do nothing about it. So he remained motionless, allowing Yi Mo to undress him.

The atmosphere in the room abruptly returned to silence, only the faint rustling of clothes audible.

Shen Qingxuan looked down to see the collar of his robes wide-open, exposing his snow-white inner robe. He watched as those slender yet forceful fingers worked nimbly, loosening the ties on the side of his waist, before untying the next one. When those frigid fingers touched his skin, Shen Qingxuan would shiver, goosebumps rising from his skin.

Sensing his reaction, Yi Mo halted, and after a moment of silence, asked, “Are you still willing to give yourself to me like this?”

Shen Qingxuan was also quiet for a moment, before giving a low chuckle and removing his own crown from his hair. A head of long hair flowed down, the silky strands covering half of his face.

"Since I am repaying your kindness, I should show some sincerity.” The corner of Shen Qingxuan’s lips quirked as he put his hair crown aside and turned back with an easy smile on his face. "Not to mention, you are a snake and cannot freeze me to death. Even if you were a glacier, I would still be willing.”

Hearing his attempt at courage, Yi Mo simply pressed his ice-cold palm firmly against Shen Qingxuan, deliberately making him shudder.

"Then show me your sincerity.”

~~~~~

This chapter is translated by Renee (wooo her first!)

Edited by Eggy and Tao 

Happy 520 (an informal valentines day because it sounds like “I love you” in Chinese) so posting one day earlier :~)

Next chapter in two weeks

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 10-Separate Paths

Content warnings: n/a

At night, the two brothers lay in bed with a lit candle by the bedside, chatting face to face.

For the most part, it was Shen Zhen who did the speaking. He talked about the anecdotes and odd happenings of officialdom as well as which new friends he had made recently and what kinds of natures they all had. His expression was animated as he spoke and his words could not be stopped in the slightest.

Shen Qingxuan listened for a moment before he shook his head faintly. He knew that his time in officialdom was still short and that he had not yet experienced those petty schemes, so his spirits were high and full of expectations. What will happen in the future was not yet evident.

In the end though, he was his very own younger brother. After a minute’s hesitation, Shen Qingxuan ended up pouring a basin of cold water on his brimming, enthusiastic heart. You need to be prudent in all things. Before you have distinguished their faction, do not make friends carelessly. Even if you have gotten to know them, keep a distance. It is not too late to wait until later, once you are sure you can associate with them, to treat them sincerely.

Shen Zhen was a little taken aback. After he recovered, although he did not say anything, he was no longer as spirited as before. He merely nodded and agreed.

-

Shen Qingxuan realized that he was overly blunt with his words. It was not entirely impossible for Shen Zhen to be aware of all these reasonings, but to have it said so candidly made it hard for Shen Zhen to accept emotionally at the moment.

With a sigh, he reached out to stroke his little brother’s head and continued to say, Father’s wealth is great and his influence is broad so I know you do not have worries from that end. But you must think about it. The greater the wealth and influence of the Shen family, the larger we are as a target to rope in for conspiracies within the official circles. You have just entered this space, so your experience is still short and without any roots. If you do not act carefully and join the wrong faction, it will be very difficult for you to turn things around again. Not to mention, if that happens the Shen family wealth may not be able to help; instead, our family might lose everything and become ruined or dead!

The last sentence, after some hesitation by Shen Qingxuan, was nevertheless said out loud. Under the blankets, Shen Zhen’s body shivered once.

“Gege, I know.” Shen Zhen was silent for a long time before he slowly said, “This time I have come up to say goodbye to you.”

-

This time it was Shen Qingxuan’s turn to be taken aback. Shen Zhen took a glance at him, and then lowered his eyes, saying softly, “It is precisely because I understand these things, so I requested to be transferred to the south and take office at Ningyuan County’s government office. The official documents have already been sent down. I set out at the end of this month. This parting will be as lengthy as the mountains are high and the rivers are long, I do not know when I can return……”

Shen Qingxuan furrowed his brows as he tried to recall where Ningyuan County was located. After thinking for a long time, he remembered that Ningyuan County was a small county seat in an extremely remote part of the south, situated in a hot and humid climate where the folks were fierce, and brigands and bandits ran wild. The people there were all called southern barbarians.

Shen Qingxuan’s brows did not unfurrow until after a very long time. He replied, Going there is good too. If you stay in the capital with this temper of yours, you will never know when you might offend someone. Go there to sharpen yourself. Once you return, gege will set a dinner to welcome you back.

Shen Zhen smiled and reached out his arm to hook his older brother’s neck, burying his head into it and saying softly, “I knew you were going to say this.” After a pause, he continued, “Although that place is a bit more challenging, it is a good place to build foundations for my career goals. Gege need not worry about me. A couple of bandits and brigands are not enough to defeat me. Moreover, diedie has a shop there, so there is no need to worry about clothes and food either……Ten years at most, and I will return.”

Shen Qingxuan was silent as he nodded his head.

This was their first time parting as two brothers who had grown up together from childhood. Although they were distanced by some years of age and were polar opposites, nothing could erase their mutual affection made of blood thicker than water. This greatly saddened both of them.

And after who knows how long, Shen Zhen finally said something. “Gege, I know your health is not good. But you must promise to at least wait until I return.”

Shen Qingxuan was stunned again. When it dawned on him, he could not help but feel grieved. He nodded and promised at once. Of course I will wait for you to come back. Rest assured, I still have not seen you get married and establish yourself, and then shoulder the responsibility of bringing honor to and continuing the Shen family legacy. How could I let go and leave?

Shen Zhen finally laughed, “Wait for me to marry and have a son. I will definitely have two kids and give one to you for sure.”

Shen Qingxuan laughed as well. To this day, he still had not taken a fancy to any girl, so who knows when this hollow promise will be fulfilled. Then he thought that it was not necessarily true that he will not be able to marry and have children. If it was just a matter of carrying on the family line, then it was quite simple. But at the same time this thought appeared in his mind, Yi Mo’s face abruptly popped up at the worst moment, startling him into suppressing and keeping his restless thoughts down all at once.

I must not think about it again. I dare not think.

-

The two brothers affectionately spoke a good deal of words again. For a time, Shen Qingxuan was unsure if he should tell him about the matter of regaining his ability to speak, including the matter of knowing the serpent as well, to save his younger brother the trouble of worrying about whether he was alive or dead while he was away from home.

But on second thought, he abandoned this idea.

Although he could speak now, he did not know how long this state could last, let alone what kinds of mishaps might occur in the future. He had already experienced the ups and downs of life. Before determining the final outcome, there was no need to make his family worry with him.

What’s more, the future of him and Yi Mo was quite complicated. Neither of them could promise each other anything.

Besides, vows were empty and tedious by nature. Who would believe them?

-

In the later half of the night, Shen Zhen had fallen fast asleep, appearing docile as he nestled next to his brother, just like when they were kids. No matter how feral or unruly, he was always clever yet sensible in front of his elder brother, putting on a submissive appearance. It seemed as if there were an invisible pair of divine hands that had arranged everything.

Shen Qingxuan smoothed his brow, lost in thought as he looked at him. Even from a young age, there have been people who have pointed out that these eyes were the most similar feature between them, as they had both inherited their father’s eyes.

Their least similar feature was also these eyes.

While Shen Zhen’s eyes were still full of youthful energy and innocence, Shen Qingxuan already possessed a pair of gloomy and exhausted eyes.

Shen Qingxuan sighed without a sound, tucked in their blankets, and in a daze, gradually fell asleep as well.

-

The next few days were a continuous rush since Shen Zhen needed to hurry on and take up his new post. The entire household was busy running around, not even Shen Qingxuan could decline and had to go down the mountain as well.

Since they were short on hands, Shen Qingxuan sent his own serving boy over to help out. He himself was unable to help, so he sat quietly in a shaded nook.

Shen Zhen busied himself with saying goodbye to his friends and going in and out of taverns and restaurants. When he came home, he also could not rest, and was instead pulled away by Master Shen to bid farewell to his elderly relatives one by one.

Shen Zhen would come find Shen Qingxuan in his free time to relay his hardships, remarking that he did not realize leaving would be this tiring. Naturally, Shen Qingxuan would say something to appease him and follow up by pushing him to another banquet.

Soon, after everything was sorted out, Shen Zhen went on his way.

Shen Qingxuan had also returned to the mountains, settling back into his quiet days. He would count the sunrise and sunset as he listened to the sound of wind blowing through the tree leaves.

-

Ever since they parted after the hot spring, Yi Mo had not shown up again.

He was not sure what Yi Mo was busy with, or maybe Yi Mo did not want to see him again at all. Every time Shen Qingxuan thought about this, he could not contain his scoff. So what if you do not want to meet. At most, you can hide until next year’s trial, and then you will have to come find me anyways.

But then he thought, What kind of person is Yi Mo? Did he even need to hide from a cripple like him who could not even truss a chicken? He probably did not wish to come.

Was it that he did not wish to come, or was it because he shunned him for being a cripple with dubious intentions? The latter was not impossible, Shen Qingxuan kept thinking, I fear that this yao has lived for millennia and has never encountered such a dishonest and shameless matter. Immediately, this idea was overturned by him. This was a yao who had lived for millennia; what kinds of things had he not seen? It was possible he had already seen all the affairs of the human world, and it was simply only because Yi Mo looked down on him and did not wish to see him.

Shen Qingxuan sat by himself in his room, the thoughts in his head spinning fast, but he was unable to make sense of any of them. Instead, the messier his thoughts became, the more depressed his heart felt.

It was like there was something blocking his chest, he only wanted to howl hysterically, and trash and break some things to feel relief.

Perhaps it was because he had just experienced a period of excitement, he could no longer guard this loneliness as calmly and composedly as he did before.

Sensing his own dangerous mood, Shen Qingxuan felt even more stifled. He really had no outlet to vent, so he simply picked up a stack of strange fox and ghost stories that he had collected previously to read. Except, as soon as he read a page, he wanted to rip out a page. He wanted nothing more than to rip all these things that falsely seduced people’s hearts into fine powder.

What fox girl would receive a good marriage when repaying a kind act? What love-struck fool would receive a marriage alliance after watering a flower spirit……all of it was entirely ridiculous and delusional.

Did the people who wrote these novels not know that “humans and yao walked separate paths,” huh?!

––Humans and yao walked separate paths.

Shen Qingxuan narrowed his eyes, chewing on these six words with gnashed teeth. Turning them over repeatedly again and again, soundlessly biting them out, then swallowing them down again and again. He was angered without reason and his hatred was drawn out even more.

Those words flashed across his mind again, “separate paths that converge to the same end,” but then he did not dare to continue the thought again.

They were a human and a yao, plus they were both men, so this convergence could not bring about the “same” romantic affairs mentioned in stories.

At most, they would be an excuse for others to gossip and add more topics for people to talk about after meals.

Once he internalized this point, Shen Qingxuan’s unwarranted anger skyrocketed even higher.

-

“Did those novels provoke you?”

Shen Qingxuan whipped his head up only to see Yi Mo standing next to the candle, half of his face hidden behind his messy long hair, the other half shown in the swaying shadow of the candlelight, and a pair of light-as-water eyes staring fixedly at him. His eyes were extraordinarily tranquil through and through.

Shen Qingxuan’s hand trembled once, then those white as snow scraps fell messily and scattered all over the ground.

The originally chaotic thoughts in his head seemed to follow these scraps as they fell to the ground and sank into the background as well. It was suddenly peaceful.

He was neither worried nor panicked, neither happy nor concerned.

He just unhurriedly lifted his head and gazed at the other man’s tranquil eyes. He vaguely thought that they had been like this for thousands of years, as if they were a secret place that had existed since antiquity where no one had visited.

“Yi Mo.”

Shen Qingxuan heard his own voice sound out in this still world and ask word by word with incomparable earnestness:

“Shall our separate paths converge into one?”

Would that be okay?

[eggytranslations]

hello, my name is Kamylla and I wonder if you can give permission to translate encountering to Snake for the Portuguese. it's a wonderful novel and I'd like to take it to other people in my language. if you authorize it will be posted on the wattpad platform with due credit to you. I look forward to your reply via email: kamyllas393 @ Gmail. com on Twitter: wanningisart. have a great day

hi, i’ve held off on answering this because i feel very conflicted. 

when i asked su hen if i could translate her novel, she said this to her assistant who said this to me, “this is not an area she can control, so as long as you are happy (do it).” which made me feel quite sad for her and other writers (please i want to support a good official translation TAT) 

so it’s very important that you: 

do not benefit from this financially

do not use the translations commercially 

credit directly to su hen’s weibo + wechat (a simple link/credit back to my translation is also appreciated)

and mention tipping her if your readers have wechat pay. though i have a feeling they won’t have wechat pay…

i’m also supposed to make a guide soon too fuCK

so with that said, yes go ahead for the portuguese version. my english translation of the novel title is A Snake Encounter. 

i hope you enjoy and treasure and cry over her novel !

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 9-Family

Quick notes: I'm switching to one update every two weeks for now (sorry my schedule is really busy with new job) and will update on my twitter if I cannot make the biweekly Friday updates...o-(-( trying to rope another translator in, so we shall see how that goes! Chapter 10 and 11 are both pretty short so I think we should be good for those chapters. Okay on to the main course: enjoy!

Content warnings: n/a

For three straight days, the mountain villa became unusually lively yet again; it was all because the elder Young Master Shen had come back from the gates of death.

In the midst of this clamoring noise, Shen Qingxuan was as calm as usual. Dressed in a crescent white robe, he sat on the chair with a smile and easily accepted the concern that came from all directions. He nodded and listened attentively in a modest and well-mannered way while maintaining a cultured and refined manner.

This stirred another wave of pitying voices that all said, Such a good kid, and yet fate would tease in such a way.

Shen Qingxuan had already perfected an entire body of copper skin and iron bones towards these pitying words, so when he heard them, naturally, they did not hurt or itch. Yet these words stirred the thoughts of Mother Shen who was next to him. She shed tears several times, and yet she feared that Shen Qingxuan would be even more upset once he saw her, so she swiftly hid her face by turning away to wipe her tears.

How could these actions of hers hide from Shen Qingxuan’s sharp eyes. With the affinity between a mother and a child, Shen Qingxuan knew what she was thinking, so he also pretended that he did not see her and shifted his gaze onto other people.

When the banquet opened, Shen Qingxuan had the servant girl push him from the table to leave. Everyone knew that Shen Qingxuan’s body was frail and could not drink wine, simultaneously, he was still recovering from a serious illness so he could not accompany the guests and tax his mind. Thus, one after another, they urged him to rest well and waited for Shen Qingxuan to leave before they started toasting and drinking wine to their fill.

-

Shen Qingxuan returned to his room and listened briefly to the outside noise through his window lattice before he laughed bitterly to himself. Who knows how many times these kinds of banquets had been held, and who knows how many more times they will be held in the future. Who knows?

Even if Yi Mo helped him, and allowed him to be no different from any other person after this year, he, however, still did not know what hardships he would suffer in the future.

-

Feng shui fluctuated and worldly affairs were fickle.

Ever since he was resuscitated from the ice cave, Shen Qingxuan finally understood the meaning of these eight words that his father constantly uttered from his mouth.

Who could have expected that the gentle and mild beauty from a humble family, who had bashfully and timidly married into the Shen family for three years—his second mother, who previously cared for him extremely well, would employ someone to almost take his life?

He had never even considered it.

Even remembering it now, after so many years coolly observing as a bystander, the pain was just as fresh.

-

Right as he was lost in thought, there came the sound of a set of hurried footsteps from the courtyard. The footsteps were quite brisk and carried impatience as well as the unique heavy sound of an official’s boots. Shen Qingxuan’s gloomy eyes lit up slightly, the smile he always wore on his face also showed some sincerity.

“Gege!” The doors were suddenly pushed open, stirring up bits of dust. The sun shone in from the outside and revealed a clean-cut face in between the dancing dust particles. Because it was a meeting with family, that heroic and spirited face carried some of the rashness of a child.

When he saw his elder brother sitting on the chair and looking at him with an expression full of smiles, the young man was embarrassed all of a sudden. He quickly drew back his hand, and recovered a degree of steadiness before he said in greeting, “Gege.”

Shen Qingxuan beckoned with his hand, calling the man over to his side. Then he grabbed the man’s hand to pull down that tall body, flicked the man’s forehead with his finger out of habit, and said silently, I thought you had made some progress, how are you still this reckless.

Ever since childhood, Shen Zhen has been able to read his elder brother’s lips. He hastily used a hand to massage his unscathed forehead and harrumphed, “I wanted to be more reserved, but I was worried I would scare you into not recognizing me as your very own didi.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingxuan smiled while he stroked his brother’s neatly bound hair piece

, and asked, How did you have time to come see me today?

“Gege just recovered from a serious illness, how could I not come?” Shen Zhen squatted down with one hand propped on his elder brother’s leg and moved in front of him to act like a spoiled child, just like when they were children. His eyes were full of faith and dependence only possible between one’s flesh and blood, a bond thicker than water. Shen Qingxuan looked at this face that was remarkably similar to his second mother’s face, and could only feel tranquility in his heart. Towards this face that had stuck to his side from childhood, he really could not summon any hatred.

Even if he knew full well that he was reduced to this sorry state today all because of this person.

The second son of the Shen family, who had just turned one year old that year.

-

Master Shen had once held his eldest son with one arm and with his other arm, he cradled his second son who was still in his swaddling clothes, sucking on his thumb and quietly sleeping. Then he turned to his two wives and said, full of pride, “In the future, this eldest son of mine will bring honor to our Shen family and receive noble titles. When we get old in the future, the matters of our support and burials will depend on this little guy. In this way, the Shen family is basically perfect."

All the expectations in his words fell on Shen Qingxuan who was merely seven years old.

He only saw his eldest son’s intelligence and considered the Shen family status, but he never saw the smiles of his two wives who were standing in front of him, and how much reluctance and grievance was hidden in the smile on one of the two faces.

Why? Just because he was the second son, so he could only end up with a captive-at-home, mediocre, and nameless future for the rest of his life?

The woman was narrow-minded, and at the time, did not consider that each person had their own fate. If indeed her son worked hard, how could Master Shen disregard his son’s future? It was nothing more than careless words said in a moment of joy. Yet she took it seriously. She developed malicious intentions and harmed Shen Qingxuan for the rest of his life.

When she finally understood this, the transgression had already been committed.

-

With a pat on the back of the youth who laid on his knees, Shen Qingxuan looked at him as he said, After becoming an official, you have probably fallen behind on the sword and spear, no?

Shen Zhen shook his head at once. “There is no such thing. If gege does not believe it, we can go to the courtyard and I will perform for you.”

Shen Qingxuan laughed as he nodded, and Shen Zhen promptly got up to push him. The two brothers went out the doors of the room, stopping in the spacious area in the middle of the courtyard.

Shen Zhen retrieved a long staff, flashed a showy move, and said while holding the staff, “Gege look closely, didi is showing off the staff for you.”

Shen Qingxuan was still smiling a smile without restraint.

Seeing this, Shen Zhen also grinned. The wooden staff in his hand started to move around like a nimble snake. As he brandished the staff, it swept up a whistling wind, stirring dust in every which way and blurring light and shadow. When he struck the ground, it reverberated with a heavy sound, and with a great force, trenches appeared in the sandy yellow soil.

Shen Qingxuan watched closely, enthralled until a set of staff exercises were completed and he promptly clapped his hands, not at all hiding his desire to praise him.

After receiving his eldest brother’s praise, Shen Zhen became even more pleased with himself. He tossed aside the staff, picked up a spear, and flaunted another set of spear exercises for Shen Qingxuan to watch. It was slightly inferior to his staff technique, yet it still gave a vigorous feeling of strength.

-

The two brothers were in the courtyard, one person performing for the other to watch. They played until the red sun set into the evening, then Shen Qingxuan indicated for him to stop and called for a servant to bring over a wet cloth and hot tea.

Shen Zhen noisily downed a cup of tea, wiped the sweat from his face, then moved closer towards Shen Qingxuan again, and said, “Gege, do you have any advice?”

Shen Qingxuan cast a sidelong glance at him, What advice do I have for you?

Shen Zhen laughed mischievously, “Gege come on, dad said when you were little you liked to brandish spears and play with sticks. You even secretly took the martial arts teacher’s polearm to poke a bird’s nest and made the master really angry, do you dare deny this?”

Hearing this, Shen Qingxuan thought back and vaguely recalled some pieces, but could not remember more concrete details.

These old affairs from years ago, if Shen Zhen had not mentioned them, Shen Qingxuan could not have thought of them. Even though Shen Zhen mentioned them now, he still could not remember.

Occasionally, there were fragments that floated and flashed across his mind, but he did not think those things had happened to him.

Those past events felt faintly like a previous life, or perhaps an even more distant time ago, that was soaked by the yellowing of time into a sheet of brittle and thin paper, breaking with just one touch.

Fragmented and incomplete.

Shen Qingxuan’s expression slightly dimmed into gloominess.

-

Shen Zhen realized he misspoke and changed the topic at once. He tugged the hand Shen Qingxuan was resting on his knee, and said eagerly, “Gege, I get to visit the mountains for once, and you made me work this half-day. How about you play a board of chess with me?”

Shen Qingxuan roused his spirits and asked, What happens if you lose?

Shen Zhen rubbed his temples, then whispered near his elder brother’s ear, “Like old times?”

Shen Qingxuan became happier too and nodded in agreement as the two men went back inside.

-

They let the serving boys send the tea and pastries into the room. After everything was prepared in order, Shen Zhen fastened the doors and windows tightly and checked again if they were secure or not. It was like he was deeply afraid of someone discovering something and had the guilty expression of an uneasy thief. Watching this, Shen Qingxuan could not stop his muffled laughter.

The cushioned mat was spread out on the daybed and the two of them sat opposite each other. Shen Qingxuan wiped the chessboard again then took out the black and white pieces and asked, Like old times?

Shen Zhen nodded his head immediately, as if he was afraid that he would back out, and snatched the black pieces, putting down a piece first, then another piece, and then another piece again.

As soon as the chess game started, he snatched the black pieces and put down three of them.

Shen Qingxuan raised his brow and looked at him for a long moment, soundlessly chiding, You really have not grown at all.

Shen Zhen quickly countered, “You are the elder brother and older than me by seven years so you should actually have let me by seven pieces. Now it is only three pieces, my progress is already not small at all.”

Shen Qingxuan held the white piece as he put one down and ignored him.

Shen Zhen quieted down as well, observing the match and beginning to play seriously.

Shen Zhen took the advantage at the beginning, and in the time of one stick of incense, he had killed the game into a treacherous and hard to predict match. With sharp moves, he encircled a portion of Shen Qingxuan’s white pieces, feeling rather pleased with himself.

However, Shen Qingxuan did not even lift his head, and solely focused on placing his pieces. When the match had gone on for a period of two sticks of incense, Shen Zhen’s sharp peaks and edges were all chopped off to nothingness, not one was spared. Furthermore, White was like a dragon entrenched in a mountain range, biding its time to act, just waiting for a command so that it could seize the land in this game within an instant.

“Gege.” Shen Zhen wiped the cold sweat that did not actually exist from his forehead and said hastily, “Gege’s opening and closing were well considered with an impressive performance this match……” how about you spare didi this time?

He had not finished speaking before Shen Qingxuan, with a smile in his eyes, had already turned around to take the pen that was placed to the side. He filled the pen with ink and unhurriedly wrote: Do not flatter me. Lift your face up.

Shen Zhen instantly shut his mouth and handed over his face with misery.

A moment later, a big, crawling tortoise had been added to that handsome face.

Shen Zhen jumped down from the daybed and grabbed a mirror to look at his face. He moaned and groaned, “The more I flatter, the more lifelike this tortoise gets. So it is clear that this flattery still needs to be flattered, especially gege’s flattery.”

Shen Qingxuan impatiently patted the chessboard, saying, Again.

Shen Zhen had no choice but to return to his seat. He also carefully checked the windows to see if there were cracks so as to prevent any other people from seeing him. That would be so embarrassing.

-

Up until dinner time, the two of them still had the doors and windows tightly shut, unwilling to come out. All the servants waited outside because the people inside still had not allowed them to set up the dinner. This finally alarmed Master Shen.

When Master Shen heard that his sons refused to take their meals, he rushed over at once and stood outside the doors as he asked, “What kind of mishap have you two gotten into?”

Only after a moment did Shen Zhen’s voice come from the room, “Dad, I am playing chess with xiong zhang.”

At first, Master Shen was baffled, and then his face held back a strange expression. He stood for a minute before he waved away the crowd of servants. “You all go on first, keep the dishes warm, and bring them again in a double-hour.”

After he sent them all away, Master Shen leaned on the door as he said in a low voice, “Xuan’er, let dad come in and take a look.”

Immediately, sounds of frantic commotion came from behind the doors. Master Shen waited without a worry, and sure enough, his youngest son was no match for his eldest son. Shen Qingxuan pushed his wheelchair over and opened the door.

-

After he came inside and looked around, Master Shen headed towards the screen

, still using a benevolent voice, “Come out and let dad have a look.”

There was absolute silence from behind the screen.

“Do not be like a girl, come out and let dad see.” Master Shen continued to coax him.

Shen Zhen refused to come out.

Shen Qingxuan closed the door once again, wheeled over, and pushed down the screen. Shen Zhen did not expect his brother to do this, and had no chance to hide. On instinct, he held up the screen that almost fell and ducked out of the way.

In this split second, Master Shen had already seen the scene he wanted to see. He let out a “pft,” then immediately held it in again until his beard was shaking.

Shen Qingxuan also lowered his face while his shoulders could not stop quaking. Clearly, he was holding back quite desperately.

Shen Zhen stood there with his whole face covered in tortoises that either crawled or stood or rolled, not even his ears were spared. Each of his earlobes had their own tiny tortoise that stretched out their necks and kicked their legs.

Master Shen held his stomach as he pointed at Shen Qingxuan with a shaking finger and said breathlessly, “Y-you……your elder brother, is truly, i-im-im……proper.”

Shen Qingxuan raised his head immediately, and with his bright, black eyes, he stared unblinking at his diedie.

Father and son looked at each other for a minute, and then suddenly turned away from each other without warning. One of them gaped his mouth as he roared with laughter silently while the other man laughed until he nearly lost his breath.

At first, Shen Zhen was indignant and yelled at the two of them to stop laughing. Then he saw that neither of them could stop. They were bent down and clutching their chest as they laughed until they could not breathe, which frightened him into ignoring his own mortification. He quickly ran over to pat their backs with one hand each, and helped them catch their breath. He was deeply afraid that these two would laugh until they were sick.

But he did not realize that his elder brother and father, as soon as they turned their heads and saw that painted face with anxiety written all over it, were unable to stop even if they wanted to stop.

Furthermore, Shen Qingxuan almost laughed out loud several times, and could only bite his tongue as he swallowed down the sound that had risen to his larynx yet again.

His joy was also a joy of extreme difficulty.

-

In these twenty years, there has never been a time that was not burdensome.

[eggytranslations]

this egg is starting new job training this week!!!!!!!!!!! ....so unfortunately .....updates are on a one chapter per two week's basis oTL I'M REALLY SORRY BUT HOLY SHIT I'M JUST SO HAPPY EMPLOYMENT

f to the readers tho....i will try to at least get chapter 9 out this friday/saturday🤡

i don’t see myself dropping this, but i do see updates slowing down sometimes 😓i will try my best to keep it so that people won’t forget what happened last chapter by the time they read.....wait actually...

would it be better for me to stockpile and release more chapters in bundles?

also thanks @screechingpalaceturtlebandit​ and @lunaserendipity for your replies! I’m more active on twitter and since this is a side blog it’s hard for me to reply but i hope y’all enjoy the rest of the novel once I get more chapters out TAT

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 8-Hot Spring

Content warning: some ableism, one line description of a penis

The distant horizon of the sky glimmered with the first light of dawn.

The hot spring was located at the peak of the mountain, so when the first ray of light appeared from the horizon, it fell on the hot spring.

Shen Qingxuan only felt that there was a force holding him up which allowed him to float in the water without sinking down.

The experience of soaking in the natural hot spring compared to the square inch space of a cramped wooden tub could not be mentioned in the same breath. As Shen Qingxuan soaked in the water, he felt so comfortable that he only wanted to sigh.

A moment later, Yi Mo untied his robes and stepped into the water as well.

Shen Qingxuan cracked open his eyes to watch the man, with his loosened long hair, wade through the rippling water towards him. He slowly neared and the sulfur smell that pervaded the air mingled with a crisp scent that was close enough to touch.

Shen Qingxuan went to speak, but suddenly realized he could not make a sound and since there was no brush and ink within reach, they could not even talk anymore.

After this long without meeting, they were finally face-to-face, yet they could not even talk. This thoroughly ruined Shen Qingxuan’s mood and his expression turned gloomy.

Yi Mo soaked in the water and watched him for a moment before finally raising his hand. His ice-cold fingers flashed with a faint green light which touched upon his throat.

While watching his actions, Shen Qingxuan only felt that his throat was drenched thoroughly with a chili sauce from inside-out. He could not say if it was a scorching heat or if it was a chilly wind before that overly sharp feeling made his tears overflow.

Yi Mo retracted his hand. Shen Qingxuan could only sense a sparkling goldeness near his eyes. The painful feeling, as if he was suffocating, made Shen Qingxuan press his throat and cough like his life depended on it.

First, he had silent, breathless coughs, and then from his throat came hoarse, abnormal sounds that gradually deepened and finally every cough made a sound that was like any other ordinary person’s.

He—had coughed out loud. Shen Qingxuan realized this and could not tell if he was surprised or happy. He was only aware of the trickles of stinging streams that winded and flowed down from the corner of his eyes, accompanied by the sound of coughing, one after another, echoing along the lonely mountain peak and above the curling mist of the hot spring.

As if he was going to cough up his lungs, Shen Qingxuan coughed so hard that both his eyes turned red. He almost drank the hot spring water multiple times while he was hunched over himself. His entire body weakly leaned on top of the jutting rocks, just gasping mouthful after mouthful of air.

Yi Mo leaned against the rocks opposite him with his arms casually draped beside him. He looked indifferently at Shen Qingxuan for a moment before he ultimately closed his eyes to rest, letting Shen Qingxuan keel over across from him to die and then live again.

After a stick of incense’s time, Shen Qingxuan finally stopped coughing. After he caught his breath, he covered his throat as he turned back to look, and what he saw was this scene—in the curling mist of the hot spring water, Yi Mo leaned on top of a protruding rock with his arms outstretched like the “大” character, eyes closed, head back, and expression relaxed, as if everything outside of himself had nothing to do with him.

Only that loose, long hair, floating on the surface of the water in front of him, would move minutely with the ripples once in a while.

Aside from this, it seemed as if he was just a statue, ice-cold, indifferent, and unmoved.

As Shen Qingxuan looked at him, he started to feel an indescribable heartache.

Because of this hard to explain heartache, Shen Qingxuan did not open his mouth even though he knew he had recovered his vocal abilities. He only stared at him without a blink.

Their distance was not far, but it was still a couple steps apart. The haze evaporated by the hot spring was like smoke and also like gauze, disappearing and appearing as it spread out between them. Behind it was Yi Mo’s face.

Shen Qingxuan knew he was being rude, but he could not turn his eyes away. He was thinking that it would be impossible to find a second person in this world who was this unparalleled in elegance and talent.

Just as he was observing, Yi Mo’s tightly closed eyelashes fluttered, and then his eyes opened. His pupils were both serene and deep, as still as a cold pond that was one thousand feet deep, without a trace of a ripple.

Yi Mo mildly asked him, “Why are you unhappy?”

Shen Qingxuan said to himself, How do you know I am unhappy?, but did not voice it, still looking at him before he replied after a while, “Of course I am happy.”

After his first time to speak in nearly 20 years, his voice carried some huskiness and soreness that was even unfamiliar to him. He had to listen hard, and then intently recall his childhood voice before he could be certain that this voice really came from him.

“I……” Shen Qingxuan tried speaking again and was startled by the sound that came from his own throat. After a moment, he admonished himself to speak more familiarly, so he slowly said, “I thought it would be another two months before you could return.”

“The task is complete, so I have returned.” Yi Mo said.

Shen Qingxuan let out an “Oh,” and bowed his head. He spoke again after mulling it over, “Not sure why, but I do not want to let people know that I can speak now……”

Yi Mo nodded his head to indicate that he understood.

“If they ask me how I recovered, I am not particularly good at lying either.” Shen Qingxuan weighed his words as he practiced his pronunciation while he replied, “So for now, I do not plan on explaining.”

A pause, then he added, “Have you retrieved your snake slough?”

Yi Mo gave an, “Uh-huh.”

“That’s good.” Shen Qingxuan replied.

Then he did not know what he should say after this and bowed his head in silence.

Yi Mo drew back his arm and soaked it in the water. He was also silent for a minute before opening his mouth to ask, “How did you get sick this time?”

Shen Qingxuan did not expect him to ask this and hesitated before he recounted the events in detail, omitting that fanciful dream part in the middle, of course. He merely passed the blame for the accident onto drinking wine until he became drunk, then falling asleep while bathing, and not knowing that the water had become cold. Thus, he fell ill.

As he spoke, even he thought this excuse was laughable. Shen Qingxuan woefully hung his head.

After Yi Mo heard everything, he raised his eyes to stare at him for a moment and then determined, “A sheltered girl in her room would also be like this.”

He said this vaguely, but Shen Qingxuan caught the mocking air in Yi Mo’s words and indignance was added to his expression. Yi Mo actually compared him to a delicate, little girl still stuck at home.

How dreadful that his own debate skills were not as polished as the other man’s skills. On top of that, he had just recently been able to open his mouth to speak. Against this serpent who had lived for a millennium, one was the heavens and the other was the ground, so he could only be bullied.

After thinking for a long time, Shen Qingxuan was only able to angrily retort, “Of course I cannot compare to your solid scales and thick shell.”

He implied that he lacked his thick skin which made him invincible against numerous poisons.

The two of them were fighting a battle of words while soaking in the water so they did not feel bored. The night gradually receded and the light became increasingly bright. A red sun rose majestically, shining on the two people in the water until their appearance became more distinct.

Shen Qingxuan’s speech became more proficient and fluent as he spoke, and when he livened up, he would also borrow the buoyancy of the water to scoot nearer to where Yi Mo was soaking. He wanted to be like before, when they would converse closely with each other.

As he neared him, he realized that the sun was shining brightly and made the water clear. Both of them were bare of any inch of clothing. In this clear water, everything under it appeared in minute detail.

Shen Qingxuan flushed red immediately. He felt ashamed of his body’s disability. Compared to Yi Mo’s lean body, his own body was more like a teenager who had not yet come of age. His thin arms and thin legs were truly unsightly. He quickly lowered his head and supported himself on the rocks as he retreated two steps with the current. This time, he was a mess of panicked limbs. His fingers slid on the rocks, which had been soaked by the spring water until they were incomparably slippery. Unable to catch himself, he lost his balance and suddenly fell into the water. The warm spring water submerged the top of his head at once.

Yi Mo saw him shifting back and forth repeatedly in the water and had guessed some of those thoughts already. Then he saw him accidentally sink and his struggles as he flopped around in the water, which he found funny internally. Yi Mo started to feel like teasing him, so he did not save him immediately. Anyway, he had never heard of anyone drowning in a hot spring.

Poor Shen Qingxuan only knew to reach out his hands and claw about wildly as he drowned in the water. Unfortunately, he had nothing to grab onto since the rocks were too slippery and his legs were weak as well. Moreover, he was worried about why Yi Mo had not lent a hand yet, and even opened his eyes underwater in his confusion.

However, what came into sight was a pair of athletic legs that were slender and powerful. The calf muscles appeared slightly flexed with clear curves.

Shen Qingxuan’s line of sight followed the calves all the way up to a dark cluster of hair, which rippled slightly like an aquatic plant, in between a strong pair of thighs. Among the hair, there nestled a resting penis. Because of the indistinct underwater light, even though it had not been erect, that thing still appeared exceptionally massive and defined.

Who knows how Shen Qingxuan got the strength, but he braced one hand on the rock wall, and lifted his body up from the water with a splash.

His face blushed red through and through while his heart beat like a drum.

It was unclear whether it was from choking or something else.

With one hand on the wall and one hand to wipe away the water on his face, Shen Qingxuan raised his eyes just to come face to face with a pair of eyes that had the shadow of a smile. At once his heart pounded almost uncontrollably, plus he had choked on a few mouthfuls of water, so he promptly lowered his head and coughed quietly, taking this moment to calm his heartbeat.

Only to hear Yi Mo’s cold and stark voice by his ear as he asked with considerable mockery, “Shen gongzi, is the taste of this hot spring water comparable to that vintage Mid-Autumn Festival wine of yours?”

Shen Qingxuan already knew now that this snake enjoyed teasing him. He asked innocently enough and as nothing more than genuine banter, however, his mind disappointed him by immediately remembering the cold bath from the Mid-Autumn Festival evening as well as the ice-cold body that tangled with him. And then the scene he just saw before his eyes.

From the corner of his eyes, his gaze subconsciously drifted under the water. Because of this farce, the two of them had already drawn quite close to each other without noticing it. In one quick glance, Shen Qingxuan caught an eyeful of that plumply shaped mushroom head and even the narrow slit in the middle.

Four words popped into his head: snakes are instinctively lewd.

In a split second, these four words wormed their way into his heart like a seductive insect and uncovered inexplicable intentions. At once, his desire intensified, approaching with force.

Shen Qingxuan clearly felt his heartbeat, which was slowing down, mess up its tempo yet again. It was like the chaos and irregularity of a torrential downpour pounding onto the rubble in the mountains. The sound was getting louder and louder with more and more urgency.

He was unable to resist and could only watch helplessly as his years of asceticism were all washed away.

“I……”

Just as Shen Qingxuan was about to speak, he suddenly came to his senses. He sucked in a mouthful of cold air and hurriedly turned his back, leaning onto the rocks around the water to hide his erect desire in the darker water. Then he made an excuse about feeling uncomfortable and needing to rest here for a moment. After he said this, he buried his head into the crook of his arms and quietly panted to suppress his surging desire.

Yi Mo did not move even once. His inscrutable gaze serenely appraised the thin body lying on the rocks. That body was pale and emaciated. As if it had suffered an immense scare, it was trembling with tiny shivers. The ripples of water around him spread out in waves as it followed the tremors of his body, and like an invisible thread, it guided Yi Mo’s eyes as he took in all the tiny movement, surging desire, and sudden panic.

Like a god overlooking all living things.

After a long silence, Shen Qingxuan finally lifted his head from the crook of his arms. Not daring to look at Yi Mo, he lowered his eyes and said in a soft voice, “Just send me back.”

Yi Mo did not respond for a long time.

While Shen Qingxuan was in a stunned state, he felt an abrupt chill on his shoulder. Yi Mo had somehow moved behind him, extended his ice-cold hand, and grasped his shoulder, forcing Shen Qingxuan to turn around face-to-face. Yet this seemed insufficient for him since he continued to press near.

In a wink, their cheeks were in close quarters. His breathing puffed onto his face, and Shen Qingxuan flushed red to his ears again.

“Shen gongzi.” Yi Mo’s voice was as cold as it was before and did not have any emotions expressed apart from that. It appeared as if he was discussing someone else’s business. He mildly said, “From time immemorial, humans and yao have had separate paths. You must think this through.”

Shen Qingxuan’s face flushed red then white.

Yi Mo did not wait for him to give any more of a response. Shen Qingxuan’s eyes blurred and then the sound of the wind began to whistle in his ears.

Between the blink of an eye, he had already returned to the mountain villa and lay on his own bed.

It was like he had been thrown back. The red flush on Shen Qingxuan’s face evaporated and was replaced with an ashen paleness.

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 7-Ill Again

Content warnings: near death, some suicidal thoughts, throw up/vomit

Shen Qingxuan had become seriously ill.

-

He lay on the bed, waking sometimes only to be hurriedly filled with soup, pills, and medicinal decoctions. Shen Qingxuan cooperated with each of them, letting the doctors and physicians come in an endless stream, and then leave in an endless stream.

Once again on the winding path outside the villa, the carriages and horses did not end and the small sedan chairs did not cease.

Master Shen asked the group of manservants, Why the sudden bout of serious illness again? The manservants looked at each other. No one dared to stand out and take the punishment for drinking wine until the third watch which caused their master to take a cold bath. Every one of them shook their heads.

Shen Qingxuan raised his hand with great effort, not letting them continue to investigate the matter. After all, the banquet was his own idea.

This sickness dragged on day after day. Shen Qingxuan understood clearly that this time the illness came fiercely and the usual medicines would not be able to control it.

The dregs of herbal medicine in the courtyard had already piled up into a small mound, but he still had no signs of improvement.

His body frequently alternated between chills and fever. When he started to burn up, he was capable of cooking an egg; once he started to cool down, he felt like he had returned to his childhood, back to the moment he fell into the ice cave, and was incomparably distraught.

When his body felt so in pain that he could not stand it any longer as he lay on the bed and could not even turn over, there was no lack of hate in his heart.

He hated his excessive indulgence and drunkenness that night; he hated the servants who failed their duties and made him take a cold bath after drinking; he also hated the manservants who told those stories about fox spirits and ghosts in such an overly provocative way during the mid-autumn evening, which caused him to soak too long in the cold water and made him have a spring dream.

It must be understood that his health was weak in the first place. He had drunk hot wine, and yet he also soaked in cold water. Once the heat in his body was chilled by the cold water, how could he not fall ill? On top of that, he also did that thing in the water which entirely depleted his vital essence, making things worse.

He also hated that he lived to this day, but did not even have one person who was willing to thoughtfully consider his needs.

After fuming with rage internally, he gradually felt tired again. He hated until his heart grew weary, and only wanted to die a bit earlier to save himself from the suffering of living.

While he was waiting to die, Shen Qingxuan would constantly think of Yi Mo. Now that he did not have to suppress himself in a fit of temper, he could think of him from time to time.

He would even think of the dream he had that night in the cold water, but he could not remember the appearance of the woman in his dream. He only knew of a gentle and soft beauty.

The more profound memory, however, was the sudden feeling of an ice cold body embracing him. He knew that was just a dream he made up while soaking in the cold water, but he could not dispel the thought.

As well as that voice, which he had only heard once, but had never forgotten, saying lowly in his ear—simply refined, but bewitching; beautiful as if heaven-made.

It was clearly Yi Mo’s voice.

Every time he thought about this, Shen Qingxuan would involuntarily shiver and did not dare to continue this thought.

He instinctively sensed danger. He evaded danger on instinct.

-

It was another day of medicinal decoctions pouring in and stuffing his stomach to the brim. Shen Qingxuan only felt that the medicinal herbs tasted extremely disgusting, but still tried his best to cooperate and swallow them down. Once evening came, his stomach started to churn. The bitter medicinal juices would surge up to his throat from time to time, and Shen Qingxuan would swallow it down, but the medicinal juices would crazily surge up. After strenuously suppressing it for a while, Shen Qingxuan could not endure it anymore. He opened his mouth, and a huge pile of medicinal juices spurted out like an arrow. The bed, the bedding, the pillows, everything was drenched thoroughly.

Shen Qingxuan was vomiting mouthful after mouthful, until he completely vomited up all the medicinal juices in his stomach and the pills his body did not have a chance to break down yet.

The panicked maidservants and manservants carried basins and brought water, busying themselves into a disordered mess.

Shen Qingxuan could no longer keep down the medicine.

Even just a sniff of it and he would have to throw up his bile as well.

After he endured for another three days, Shen Qingxuan lay on the bed, his face as white as paper and his breath weak. He occasionally opened his eyes to stare at the blue and white canopy roof and thought of Yi Mo again and again.

He thought of their beginning, when he bit a mouthful of him; he thought of him concealing his figure while he wrote those uniform words; he thought of him going down the mountain, but it was to look for his skin…he thought about it until he laughed inside, and yet, after he finished laughing, he suddenly felt sad. He promised to protect him during his trial, but now he was afraid that he could not hold on until that time.

Yi Mo, why have you not returned yet?

-

With all these thoughts in mind, he inexplicably felt wronged. Even his eyes started to sting. After waiting for a while, he could not help but harshly think, You truly, useless, big, hornless, footless snake(长虫/cháng chong/lit. Long worm, dialect for snake). Even your own skin was stolen by someone. Your millennium of power has been cultivated in vain. How has no one actually caught you, and then flayed, deboned, and stewed you into a snake soup?!

While he thought about this, he cursed him and yet he also laughed.

But little did he realize how much this image of himself startled the people around him who were guarding him until they were quaking in fear of his gossamer-like breaths as he lay on the bed with his eyes shut and his expression was suddenly indignant, suddenly smiling, and suddenly about to cry.

On this night, a rumor was secretly circulating in the mountain villa: the young master might be trapped in a nightmare by something, perhaps he had run into something evil.

The serving boys and serving girls from that night’s wine party quietly got together. After a moment of discussion, each of them took out some silver money and pooled an unsmall amount of money. They quietly went down the mountain and bought some joss paper, incense and such. After they asked the old female cook and understood the rules, they hid to perform the ritual, and begged those ghostly monsters to let go of their young master.

-

When Yi Mo rushed back, he was met with a scene of lamplight specks coming from this gloomy, remote mountain as black-green smoke and ash floated together like ghosts.

At this moment, Shen Qingxuan’s mind was adrift and did not know Yi Mo had already arrived. He dazedly thought of the woman in his dream from before who said he had spilled wine on her. Shen Qingxuan thought to himself, I have only poured a cup of tea on Yi Mo, nothing more. Everything was fine, so why would I take the wine and pour it on you? After a sluggish moment, he realized that was just a dream. He then thought, Perhaps I only met Yi Mo because I poured a cup of tea on him, so when I dreamt of these ghosts and monsters again, I also made up this kind of scenario where we pour this and pour that to meet each other. Which is also quite unoriginal.

-

So as his imagination ran wild, Shen Qingxuan clearly felt a hand cover his forehead. Soon after, an ice-cold current flowed in from his forehead to his brain, and then into his limbs. Shen Qingxuan was chilled into waking up.

He smelled that biting and refreshing scent in a split second. It was utterly different from the medicinal odor which encircled him all day long, without end.

Shen Qingxuan opened his eyes, and as he stared blankly at the person in front of him, he opened his mouth to silently say:

You have finally returned. I thought I would not be able to wait until then.

But unexpectedly, Yi Mo withdrew his palm, and swept his eyes from top to bottom over Shen Qingxuan's body once, then said lightly, “Right now, you…are quite certainly stinky, indeed.”

Shen Qingxuan just caught his breath a moment ago, and yet because of his words, he was easily provoked into nearly fainting.

-

It was night, and everyone in the mountain villa had lain down left and right, passing out on the ground.

A black gale blew past in front of them without warning. It was vaguely possible to see a person’s shadow bundled in the black wind.

It shot directly towards the hot spring at the summit.

After Yi Mo said those words, and after Shen Qingxuan recovered his senses and breath, he was naturally unwilling to let Yi Mo get away with that, but also did not want to call for someone to heat water for a bath. Honestly, it was because that bucket of cold water from a few days before made him go through so much suffering that he would rather die instead of getting inside the bucket at this time. So he could only pull on Yi Mo and ask to be taken to the hot spring on the mountain peak.

-

Yi Mo brought the man to the hot spring, and with a twitch of his fingers, the clothes on Shen Qingxuan’s body immediately dispersed and fell down like scattered leaves in the wind.

The owner of those clothes was already blushing across his whole face.

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 6-Mid-Autumn Festival

Content warnings: some lite/implied nsfw

On the second day, the rains suddenly stopped and the skies cleared up.

Having gone through several days of cleansing by wind and rain, the flowers in the courtyard inevitably withered. However, even more verdant green leaves peaked up their heads, and within each and every one of the green leaves sat small, not yet grown flower buds. Looking at that scene, in less than three to five days the trees would be full of blossoming flowers once again.

Shen Qingxuan sat in the courtyard, smelling the balmy scent of soil in the air while he looked into the distance. After not seeing it for several days, the entire mountain forest had been washed by the rain into a kind of hazy green color, flooding with a jewel-like luster.

He sat until noon, when the sun became too deadly and shone so hard that people started sweating all over. It was as if the sun wanted to unleash all at once the temperatures that it had been brewing for many days. It became so hot that even the birds in the forest started to look dejected and listless.

Shen Qingxuan looked towards that golden-bright disk of light in the sky with squinted eyes, and in just an instant, an expanse of whiteness blinded his eyes.

He promptly shut his eyes to let them rest. Shen Qingxuan could not help but feel moody inside and helplessly thought, This old yao left, and now the sun dares to come out.

As his thoughts progressed, he also found it laughable, and leaned his head back on the chair with a silent sigh.

He sat there, sitting all the way until the afternoon.

The sun dragged out the silhouette of him sitting alone in his wheelchair into a long, lingering shadow.

-

Yi Mo had left for more than a month in the blink of an eye, and during this time, he sent back zero news.

Shen Qingxuan merely pretended he had never known of his leaving and did not think about it. Only, sometimes as he was turning about in bed, it would flash across his mind. He would wonder if that snake slough of his had been found or not and how long away he was from returning to the mountain. As soon as this thought surfaced, he would force it back down, not wanting to torture himself for no reason. Worst comes to worst, he could actually light incense and invite a couple demons and monsters, instead of missing someone who was uninterested in him.

Just like that, this month passed considerably smoothly.

-

The second month, just after the seventh day, Shen Qingxuan flipped through the almanac. The marks drawn by the writing brush appeared before his eyes and he recalled that his mother’s birth date was almost near. He also inwardly worried while unsurely deliberating what to gift as a birthday present.

Seeing his gloomy expression, the serving boy at his side guessed what he was internally thinking about and accompanied Shen Qingxuan by being moody for a few days as well. Later, the serving boy came up with an idea, saying it would be nice if the young master prepared some wild goods from the mountain, then personally prepared a meal and cooked a bowl of longevity noodles to send to the old madam as a present.

Shen Qingxuan thought about it and cheerfully agreed.

Old Madam Shen was a Buddhist and did not touch meat or fish. There were various kinds of fresh mushrooms on the mountain, and even more fresh bamboo shoots from the rains. One only had to lower their head to see them everywhere.

Shen Qingxuan sent someone to pick a whole entire basket of the goods and separately picked the two foods apart to store. Then he went into the kitchen to knead and roll flour into noodles.

He busied himself for several days before he could roll out a long, lengthy, and unbroken noodle. Old Madam Shen’s birth date had also arrived.

After plating the stewed fresh mushroom soup, then thinly slicing fresh bamboo shoots and pouring sauce over them, Shen Qingxuan packed them both into a food box

, and sent someone to deliver it down the mountain. He instructed them that the longevity noodles must not be cooked until they had arrived at the manor, followed by the mushroom soup poured on top and that would suffice.

The serving boy heeded his instructions, shouldered the meal box as well as the basket of fresh wild goods, and descended down the mountain.

Shen Qingxuan sent him off at the entrance, looking towards the serving boy’s back, unable to return to his senses for a very long time.

Seeing him like this, the maidservant by his side felt rather mournful and stood for a moment before she softly said, “Shaoye, since you miss Lao Furen, why not go down the mountain and deliver it yourself? After Lao Furen sees Shaoye, she will be a bit more joyful.”

Shen Qingxuan came back to his senses. After he heard this sentence, his face was expressionless, too. He shook his head slightly and made a gesture to direct her to push him back to his room.

That serving boy shouldered the food box along with the other things and quickly set off down the mountain. He arrived at the Shen Manor just as the sun was setting. Mother Shen heard the news and came, but once she saw the soup and food in the meal box, she immediately shed tears. She quickly took out her handkerchief to wipe her tears and said to herself, “My son is filial.”

The serving boy was clever, and while bowing his waist, he said some auspicious words before telling her, “These noodles were hand rolled by shaoye himself. He sent this insignificant one to deliver it. Just before leaving, he instructed that the noodles must be cooked after they had entered the house. Would furen like to eat now?”

Mother Shen nodded her head, and entered the kitchen, watching the kitchen maid heat the water to a boil. The kitchen maid lowered the long, lengthy strings of noodles into the pot, then, once she fished them up, placed them into a bowl and poured the mushroom soup on top at just the right temperature. After the scalding hot noodles were drenched by the lukewarm soup, they were just right to eat. It was neither too cold, nor too scalding.

After eating the noodles, Old Madam Shen called over the serving boy to give a reward and told him, “You go back and pass on to Xuan’er, mother understands his thoughts. In the past years, whenever he returned home, I would always have a cry. His heart was already in pain, but seeing me like this added even more to his grief. Naturally, I do not blame him for not leaving the mountains now. Let him quietly rest in the mountains for the time being. As a mother, I do not demand that he goes into trade or politics; I only wish for him to be in good health and stable.” After saying this, she put her palms together, said May Buddha protect him, and left in tears.

The serving boy received a hefty amount of silver as a reward and put it near his chest. Once he returned to the mountain, he passed on Mother Shen’s words to Shen Qingxuan without missing a word. After he was rewarded once again, he happily retreated.

-

The days in the mountains passed sluggishly, moreover, it was also summer. The days were long and the nights were short.

Shen Qingxuan also thought the days passed exceedingly slow. During the day, he sat listlessly under the trees for a long time, but when he opened his eyes again, it was still bright daytime.

And unknowingly, this spare time was somehow idled away. One day, when he opened the window, his nose suddenly caught the floating scent of osmanthus flowers, which startled him. Was it already the eighth month?

-

Mid-autumn during the eighth lunar month was exactly when the chrysanthemums became golden, the crabs became fatty, and the osmanthus flowers became fragrant.

Shen Qingxuan perked up. He called for someone to wash the courtyard with fresh water and pave the ground with fine sand. Once it cooled down in the evening, he invited the numerous serving boys, maidservants, kitchen maids and senior attendants and set up three or four banquet tables with the dozens of steamed, big, fat crabs arranged in the middle. There was also heated wine warmed in water for everyone to enjoy while they admired the full moon.

The servants in the mountain courtyard were not originally trained by the main manor, so their tempers were rather wild. Once they received their master’s permission and saw he was in a rare, spirited mood, they immediately began to eat and chat.

Shen Qingxuan sat with a few personal servants at a table and would also smile at the jokes he heard from them. Upon seeing their master’s joy, the servants became happy as well. At once, the jokes and mischievous talk came out one right after another. Some were extremely vulgar, but Shen Qingxuan laughed without control, and bestowed them a drink afterwards.

After drinking three cups of yellow soup, the serving boy became quite pleased with himself and his naughty jokes could no longer be contained anymore. At once, he boasted outrageously about everything under the sun. The more he spoke, the more absurd he became. Later, he somehow dragged in gods and ghosts, saying Xingtian did such and such, and Fuxi did such and such. Of course there were tales of flower ghosts and fox spirits. The stories came out, one right after another, not to mention, their favorite tale to discuss: the struggling scholar and the steadfast yao/guai/ghost/immortal pledging their undying love before the flowers and under the moon. Once a serving boy began this type of story, the others would then continue to narrate it. Each story was more sentimental and more touching than the last.

The courtyard was momentarily livelier than ever.

-

Tonight they made noise until the third watch and everyone in the courtyard was visibly drunk. Shen Qingxuan felt happy, so he also drank a few more cups and felt a bit dizzy. His personal maidservant was still sober and she helped him back to his room to rest. Shen Qingxuan lay on the bed and sent her back to the courtyard to continue drinking with everyone while he rested by himself.

Once the maidservant closed the doors and left, Shen Qingxuan started to feel the rather uncomfortable effects of the alcohol kick in and regained some clarity as well. He suddenly felt a bit miserable when he heard the bustling noise outside the room slip in through the windows and under the door seam like silk thread, appearing far yet near, real yet imaginary.

He could not help but think of Yi Mo and wonder where he was right now, what he was busy doing, did he find his snake slough, was he able to drink some wine during the Mid-Autumn Festival…had he thought of him at all and their time of written conversation under the candlelights?

Just as he was losing himself to his imagination, he suddenly heard a melodious female voice delicately and weakly call out by his ear, “Gongzi.”

-

Shen Qingxuan suddenly opened his eyes, but there was no one around him. He almost thought he had misheard, so he paused a moment, and abruptly opened the bed curtain.

Not far away, he could only see there was a woman standing slim and graceful in red clothes. Her hair was wrapped into a tall cloud bun shape, her complexion was flushed red, and looked as pretty as a picture with an unspeakable, flower-like beauty.

At the moment, she was looking at him with unspoken tenderness.

Shen Qingxuan stared blankly at her for a long time, which made her pink cheeks even more red and her flirtatious expression even more enchanting.

Thinking that he was in a dream, Shen Qingxuan hurriedly reached out his hand and pinched himself, but it felt extremely painful.

At once he came to his senses, this woman had to be either an immortal or a yao. His heart was on alert.

-

The woman’s light footsteps were delicate like a lotus as she moved to his bedside. She bowed her head and said shyly, “Gongzi has the right idea. This slave of yours is a charming flower from these mountains. After many years of receiving gongzi’s benevolence and careful watering, this slave of yours has cultivated a human form. In the courtyard just now, gongzi was drunk and poured a cup of wine on your slave’s body. Does gongzi still remember?”

Shen Qingxuan listened dumbfoundedly, recalled dumbfoundedly, and then remembered suddenly that something like this seemed to happen just a moment ago, but it was a cluster of many-petaled rose balsams

.

The woman’s pink neck lowered as she said, “That was your humble slave.”

Shen Qingxuan did not recover until now, but he was puzzled by her reason for coming here, and was staring at her doubtfully.

“It was because this slave of yours received gongzi’s bountiful benevolence that I am able to exist today…” Saying this, her face suddenly became rosy and even more incomparably alluring. In a voice as quiet as a mosquito cry, she said, “Tonight I have come to repay gongzi.”

She said it very quietly and was so bashful that she could not even lift her eyes up. Shen Qingxuan was a very intelligent person, and after he understood her meaning, he immediately became terribly bashful as well. His ears turned red as he did not know how to respond.

The two of them became unbearably shy for the moment as the shadows of the candle were swaying and the mood turned charming and gentle.

-

Upon seeing this, the woman was still blushing and unable to lift her head, but she reached out her hand to gently untie her bright red silk gauze shirt

, and slowly lied down, nestling into his arms.

With a soft and warm beauty in his embrace, how was there any reason to be unmoved?

Naturally, Shen Qingxuan was stirred by passions, but he also hesitated. The affairs between a man and a woman were not any ordinary matter. Although he was born into a merchant household, he was still tutored at the young age of three. Under the tutelage of great teachers, he studied poetry and literature as well as courtesy. To this day, he has never been disrespectful with his words or actions. Although he had thought of the affairs between a man and a woman, he cut short this wishful thinking long ago because of his body.

Tonight, this woman was as beautiful as a flower. Even if she was not human, she was still innocent and cute. Thus, Shen Qingxuan did not dare to act impulsively.

After a period of reflection, Shen Qingxuan gradually cooled down, but the woman did not. The soft body in the blankets started to entangle him.

Shen Qingxuan could not speak with his mouth so he could only push her away. As soon as he pushed her away a little bit, she would timidly wrap around him again. He pushed again, and she stuck to him again.

After repeating this a few times, since the pair on the bed were a man and a woman in the prime of their youth, like a spark of fire to drywood, in the end, the inferno caught fire with a bang.

Shen Qingxuan’s mind was already exhausted. He only performed in a daze to the most critical moment, when he felt the soft and warm body in his arms suddenly turn cold. Furthermore, there was an ice-cold palm caressing his forehead. He had no idea where all those low moans and soft words went. He could only hear a voice lowly and deeply whisper by his ear, “Shen Gongzi is indeed simply refined, but bewitching; beautiful as if heaven-made.”

Shen Qingxuan was shocked. His waist shivered once, and he suddenly opened his eyes.

-

But, there was no one around him. That bed, however, was some ten steps away from him. The quilts and pillow on the bed were neat and tidy with no sign of being touched.

Shen Qingxuan only felt sweat drip off his forehead while an icy coldness penetrated his whole body, as if he was still entwined with the ice-cold body in his dreams.

With a glance down, however, he saw that he was soaking in the bath bucket and the water had already cooled completely.

So it was actually a bath, but he dozed off and had a spring dream.

Shen Qingxuan let out a sigh of relief and amusingly shook his head. He raised his arm, preparing to ring the bell for someone.

But at this moment, he cast a glance out of the corner of his eye to the bottom of the water. His outstretched hand abruptly, as if it had become rigid, stopped still in midair. His face turned white as paper while he was foolishly staring at the threads of thick white substance in the water that were floating before his eyes.

So debauched!

[eggytranslations]

Volume 1, Chapter 5-A Gentleman

Content warnings: non-serious suicide mention, light blood and war mentions

The rainwater this year was rather abundant. This season last year, the mountain rainwaters were not so frequent. This year, however, was a bit strange. In the past half month, there were only two clear days.

Shen Qingxuan had long ago learned how to pass his time, and was not restless while he was trapped inside. With much patience, he sat by the window and listened to the rain.

The sound of rainwater hitting the tree leaves, falling on top of the eaves, dripping into the earthenware jars in the courtyard…using his ear power to catch these sounds one by one, and parse the subtle differences between them, was also interesting.

There were also the luscious flowers in the courtyard, swaying and shaking within his field of vision. The flowers lost their poise catching the droplets of rainwater, yet gained another kind of gracefulness. When his observations sparked an interest, Shen Qingxuan would spread his drawing paper and dye the scene within the rain onto it, entertaining himself for a good bit.

Once it was evening, after having dinner, he would soak in the mildly fragrant and warm herbal medicinal water until he could no longer lift his eyelids. Then, and only then, would he ring the bell for the servant, and be helped onto the bed for sleep.

This night was another night of stormy rain.

Shen Qingxuan thought Yi Mo would not come, so he got into bed early. But he had not fallen asleep yet, only reclining on the headboard with a small square chessboard

in front of him, holding a book of old chess endgames, and following along with the book to arrange his pieces.

The black and white chess pieces were spread apart and messy at first, and then quickly pushed together tightly under his hands. Suddenly, they were like a powerful horde of troops and horses, encircling, suppressing then massacring; suddenly, they were also like a ferocious tiger leaving a cage, going straight for the central unit.

Just as he was focused on fiddling with this, his bed curtain lifted as if blown by the wind and a corner gracefully raised up.

Shen Qingxuan lifted his head, rather surprised as his expression passed through the sheer green fabric to look over.

There was no one in the room. But Shen Qingxuan knew he had come, and promptly lifted the curtain, facing that spot without a person, and beckoned his hand.

Feeling a sliver of cold breath nearing, Shen Qingxuan quickly put away the chess pieces on the table, and took out brush and paper from the wooden cabinet by the bed, writing: The wind is heavy, and the rains are profuse, why not come up and sit for now?

A moment later, the large bed slightly rocked a bit, and the quilts under the chess table also had an impression.

The sound of the falling rain outside the windows pitter-pattered away. Shen Qingxuan had thought that he would not come, so he was only wearing a snow-white inner robe

with his lapels crooked as well as his hair pin taken down already from his hair. His whole head of fine black hair was quite messily loose about him, appearing languid.

It was not until Yi Mo sat down in front of the chess match that he noticed his lack of etiquette, and quickly wrote: I thought you were not coming. After he wrote that, he stared at the empty space across from him, but who knew that his opponent would not make a move or sound.

Shen Qingxuan was quite surprised. After these few months getting to know each other, although Yi Mo was extraordinarily taciturn, he was never impolite, and made sure to answer every question.

What was going on today?

Just as he was guessing internally, the paper on the table was picked up, the brush he was holding was also extracted by an external force and pulled to the opposite side.

Then writing slowly appeared on the surface of the paper, but it was a farewell.

Yi Mo had to leave the mountains and go elsewhere.

Shen Qingxuan heard this and unexpectedly, his heart skipped a beat. He immediately lost control. He felt unable to suppress his panic as he yanked over the brush floating across from him and pulled the paper back, frantically asking him in quick scribbles where he was going and when he would be returning. He had completely lost his manners.

A moment later, the brush and paper were taken from his hand, and a steady line of words appeared, remaining uniform. Apparently, this thousand year old snake yao had found the thing he had been searching for these past 200 years. He just recently obtained a glimpse of progress, so of course he would want to set off down the mountain to retrieve it.

Only then was Shen Qingxuan at ease.

After quieting for a moment, he could not resist his curiosity, and asked Yi Mo what it was that was so precious, he could not wait to retrieve it.

The brush paused for a moment, and then revealed two words: Snake slough.

Shen Qingxuan was stupefied.

Maybe because he finally had some progress on the item he had been seeking for so many years, Yi Mo’s mood was quite pleased as he spread out the paper again to converse lively—so, two hundred some years ago, Yi Mo, who had successfully passed his trial, was hiding within the mountains while he shed his skin, but who could predict that his snake slough would disappear for no reason.

Although he did not care much for that snake slough, he was, however, a thousand year old yao after all, and that skin which he shed was quite extraordinary as well. If anyone stole it, then there was sure to be trouble. Therefore, he had been searching for it all of these years.

Today he finally made some progress on that item.

Hearing this, Shen Qingxuan asked for more specific details again, and Yi Mo did not hold back. He answered his questions one by one, inevitably including past happenings within their conversation, which revealed his background. However, Yi Mo did not mind if anyone found out, while Shen Qingxuan attentively memorized it all because he cared.

Until now, Shen Qingxuan only knew he was a snake yao, but he had no idea about this snake yao’s origins and past. He only found out today the reason why Yi Mo became a yao was because he was enlightened by someone. Even Yi Mo’s birthplace was thousands of miles away.

Shen Qingxuan took up his brush and asked: For what reason did you leave your birthplace?

Yi Mo thought about it and only replied with one word: Noisy.

A birthplace for humans, was the root of one’s soul, while for snakes, it was merely the place they were born. He was originally an ignorant little snake who would eat his fill and sleep. He woke when it was spring, and hibernated when it was winter. Residing in the mountain grotto, he was unaware of human affairs.

At that time, all the lands warred in chaos. In all five states and ten countries, the fires of war raged unbroken throughout the lands. In these turbulent times, however, hundreds of schools of thought contended to be heard: scholars and sages, heroes and warriors, all emerged in succession. For a while, no one knew how many great heroes coexisted among gods and demons. There were even cultivating Daoists, immortality pill specialists, Maitreya disciples, and other schools which converged in these troubled times, making for an unusually interesting time.

He was a small snake, without an understanding of the turbulent human world and content in his corner. Unexpectedly, though, one day the fires of war came to his doorstep anyways.

The wolf dung beacon fires burned all the way to his small, little green hill.

Drumbeats erupted at the foot of the mountains. Shouts to kill shook the heavens. Flashes of cold steel glinted as blood flowed like a river. Soldiers returned from battle wrapped in horsehide.

However, there were even more soldiers who left their bodies in that expanse of land, which was filled with broken limbs, incomplete arms, and severed corpses. 

The excessive bloodshed and resentment over unfulfilled ambitions finally formed into a demonic thing. At once, evil winds howled in bursts all day long through the little green hill.

Back then, he was still an ignorant little snake.

With the sudden birth of demonic things, naturally came the arrival of sages and immortals in the world.

One day, two Daoists arrived at the foot of the mountain. Though, one of them was actually a Daoist boy who had come with his shifu.

At that time, it was the Waking of Insects. So the little snake Yi Mo peaked his head out from his hole, and cruised in the vegetation for food. But, because he just awoke from hibernation, his body was stiff and unwieldy. Just like that, he bumped headlong into the side of the Taoist boy’s shoe. The Taoist boy let out a cry of fear, and lifted his foot wishing to kick, but was stopped by his shizun.

The little snake Yi Mo, seeing that these two people did not intend to make things difficult for him, naturally did not feel like making things difficult for them as well. Even if his stomach was starving, he knew he could not eat these two people. He turned his head and was about to leave.

But was called to a stop by the slightly older Daoist.

The Daoist said, “That snake.”

Yi Mo, knowing that he was a snake, stopped and turned his head around. Eyes akin to black beans coldly stared at the Daoist, as if he was waiting for him to continue talking.

“You, snake, are rather amusing, with quite the intelligence.”

Yi Mo was not called Yi Mo at that time; he was a footless snake without a first name and without a surname. There were many flying birds and legged beasts in the mountains. There were also some that cultivated into spirits who enjoyed being noisy. Even if Yi Mo was not interested, he still knew a bit or two about these immortals, yao, demons, and spirits. He had never thought of cultivating into a spirit or yao. He only thought that his current situation was quite good.

Yet, his currently stable situation as a snake, was broken by this Daoist.

The Daoist took out a pot of wine from his waist and, with all smiles, said, “I see that you have just awoken, so your stomach must be cold and hungry. How about I treat you to a drink?” Then he opened his wine pot without leave.

Who knows what this wine was brewed from, but its sweet scent surged straight to one’s nose. Although Yi Mo knew he was up to no good, he was also quite starved. He only hesitated for a moment before drinking the wine in the gourd

.

Once he finished drinking all the wine and raised his head again, he discovered that the world before his eyes had changed.

He saw that in the originally verdant forest, lingered an inky haze that was very heavy and dense. There were also some red and green auras mixed within the haze; in a moment, the original world he was used to, changed appearances.

That Daoist still wore an expression full of smiles. He squatted down to explain to him which were demonic energies, which were yao energies, and which were resentful energies. He also explained to him the distinction between yao and demons. Finally, with much satisfaction, he put away his empty wine gourd and said, “After drinking this wine of mine, you have already become yao. You are no longer that snake that could be flayed, deboned and stewed into soup by humans.”

Yi Mo blanked then and there, and could not speak for a long time.

The Daoist also picked a full name for him before he contentedly stood up. He did not even handle his actual business, and spryly left. Nor did he concern himself with how big of a disturbance he caused to this snake’s life.

After that, the snake yao Yi Mo, who had never cultivated a day in his life, was forced to absorb the essence of the sun and the moon, and began learning about cultivation.

Accepting the reality of becoming a yao was not hard. The problem was finding out that the demonic things on this mountain were so numerous after he had become a yao. Before, he was an ordinary little snake, so those demonic things did not deign to notice him. Now that he had received an immortal’s enlightenment, he was naturally not so ordinary in the eyes of those demonic things, so they constantly pestered him.

Yi Mo preferred quietness by nature, and felt fed up with the annoyances at once.

On top of all of that, those birds and beasts who worked hard to cultivate, and that Yi Mo used to be familiar with on this mountain, gradually fell into the demonic path. They became corrupted by love, hate, greed, anger, and ignorance, and lost their normal nature which made him even more displeased.

Finally, even the black-naped oriole spirit that often stopped on his back to chirp and cry, also suddenly disappeared after a night.

The arrogant clamors and laughter of the demonic things finally forced Yi Mo to act. He extinguished the demon who was formed from the condensing resentment of the dead soldiers at the foot of the mountain. Then he cleanly disposed of those small demons that quarreled by his ear day in and day out, and from then on, he left his homeland.

Only after he gradually experienced more things, did Yi Mo realize that the Daoist who enlightened him, knew full well that the demonic energy on this mountain was excessive and hard to vanquish. That was why the Daoist priest chose this clear-hearted and desireless little snake, and granted him unwarranted power. He was precisely using the snake’s hand to kill off the demon chief.

In a yao and demon standoff, their strength was evenly matched.

If it was a person, a flesh and mortal human, even if their strength was equaled, humans would still suffer unfortunate disadvantages.

Yi Mo was aware that he had been hoodwinked for a turn, but did not express any  anger or joy. Instead, he calmly sought another spiritual mountain and cultivated for another hundred years. Once his cultivation obtained him a human form, he headed down the mountain. In a roundabout way, he found the Daoist’s reincarnation. The previous life’s trouble-making Daoist, along with this life’s incarnation, was taunted by him until this life’s incarnation almost hung himself on a roof beam to off himself before Yi Mo stopped, and returned to the mountain, continuing to cultivate asceticism.

Later, the Daoist devotee underwent another three lifetimes, and reached the immortal rank. These were all past events which have faded like puffs of smoke.

Shen Qingxuan listened to his past with rapt attention. Hearing the last part, he could not help but lower his head in a snicker. He thought to himself that this Daoist and this snake, could be regarded as having a start and an end.

Internally thinking up to here, he started to write again: When will you come back this time?

Yi Mo repliced: If quick, then two months; if slow, then half a year.

Once Shen Qingxuan saw that it would be as long as half a year, he did not hide his heart’s reluctance to part, however, he also did not know how to be intimate with others. Although his brush was not distant, he only asked: Does it have to be that long?

The snake wrote: This mountain has a number of spirits, if you feel lonely, you can burn incense and invite them.

He said it politely, and although it was not lacking care, it was still placid. Shen Qingxuan felt displeased and could only think Knowing a snake yao like you is more than enough for me. How could I need to invite some demon, devil, ghost, or monster to keep me company?

Then he turned his face to the side and hid his expression using his full head of long hair to help block as well.

Yi Mo, who was sitting across from him, fell into silence for a while, too. A moment later, he picked up the paper and ink, bringing it in front of him again to write: I will take my leave.

Although Shen Qingxuan was motionless, he swept over the activity in that direction out of the corner of his eye. When he saw those words written out on the white paper, his heart could not help but suddenly skip a beat. By coincidence at this moment, the headboard lamp’s candle flame burst up into a flower shape and he suddenly clenched his hand that was sitting on top of the silk quilt so hard that his fingertips became white.

In the end, the bed curtain was lifted again. Although he did not see his form, Shen Qingxuan knew he had to leave from there, and he suddenly started to feel sad.

To be dependent is part of human nature, and Shen Qingxuan was no exception. Although he hated his dependence on this yao thing, he had no time to think carefully at the moment. In these last few months, his days of being alone for nearly twenty years had a change of appearance that made his heart joyful. Because of this unusual turn of fate, his black and white life possessed a different kind of luster. His reliance on this man of a different race seemed to form uncontrollably, along with his dependence.

Yet, now he was told to let go and part for as long as half a year.

His original plans for a friendship between gentlemen seemed unable to continue on.

Shen Qingxuan abruptly turned his face back around, grasped the brush and ink, and on the white paper that had been quietly waiting for a long time, he wrote:

You have given me your grace, and also given me your kindness. Of course I am concerned about parting for several months. Since you purposefully came to say goodbye to me, why not let me have a glimpse of you. That way, when I remember the candlelight chats in my midnight dreams, it will not just be my own single shadow.

Shen Qingxuan put down the brush, gazing across at that spot, and quieted for a while.

Naturally, in his heart he understood that their friendship, which was a relationship as mild as water, would go through a tremendous, earthshaking change maybe just because of this one request.

That Yi Mo never showed his appearance, so he was obviously not putting on airs. The only explanation was that this was already a habit of many centuries. For his old habits to be so completely reformed by him, when did the friendly relationship between them get so familiar?

If Yi Mo declined…

Shen Qingxuan was covered in a cold sweat all at once. All the hairs from his tailbone to his scalp stoop up—if Yi Mo declined…

He actually could not dare to continue the thought anymore.

Even if their acquaintance was as mild as water, it was better than fragmenting and separating. He was not an impulsive youngster anymore. How was it that when he encounters him, he blunders again and again.

Just as Shen Qingxuan was feeling annoyed with himself, doubting, flustering, and brooding over a plan to remedy his mistake, the lifted corner of the bed curtain started to lightly sway. Clearly, it had been picked up and then put down by someone.

Then, on top of that originally empty brocade quilt, appeared a black hem corner. Shen Qingxuan held his breath. His mind was a scene of chaos.

The thing he was wishing for, apparently, unexpectedly, was about to appear in front of him. Not sure if it was excitement or something else, he did not even dare to gasp a heavy breath at this moment. His wan cheeks became a stifled red, and even started to produce a feeling of dizziness.

Yi Mo removed his invisibility spell rapidly, but it appeared sluggishly in Shen Qingxuan’s eyes. At last, once that face that was as poised and indifferent as his handwriting emerged in his field of vision, Shen Qingxuan blinked his eyes once, and unexpectedly, became stiff all over.

Right away, a small cluster of green flame appeared from Yi Mo’s fingertip, and leapt towards Shen Qingxuan’s chest. Only then did Shen Qingxuan, as if he got hit by pebbles, suddenly cycle his breath.

Realizing that he had actually forgotten to breathe and almost suffocated to death, Shen Qingxuan flushed in embarrassment for a moment.

Red-faced, he once again looked at that face which was as ice-cold as if it had been cut by a blade and chiseled by an axe. Shen Qingxuan wrote with the brush: Elegantly talented, but modest; unmatched in this world.

However, Yi Mo faintly raised his eyebrows, and using his finger as the brush, he added a line next to those eight words: Simply refined, but bewitching; beautiful as if heaven-made.

Seeing those words, Shen Qingxuan subconsciously touched his own cheek with some suspicion. Then he raised his eyes to see a bright spark flash by in the other person’s gloomy eyes, and immediately realized he had been teased. He was sincerely praising him, yet Yi Mo was 100 percent mocking Shen Qingxuan. And he unfortunately fell for it.

At once, Shen Qingxuan’s face was so red it looked like it could drip out blood. He parted his lips and scolded: You mischievous snake.

Although it was noiseless, he mouthed it plain and clear as day.

Yi Mo was neither happy nor angered. He just left two words on that paper: You, too.

Then the bed curtain lifted, and he vanished from sight.