Ch35 – Peach bro

Translator: Abo Dammen

Bai Qing gazed at the single lotus bud standing slender and graceful at the center of the pond, his eyelashes trembling slightly. “Looks like you’re absolutely set on making this wish.” 

Jing Liansheng met his gaze. “Do you intend to stop me?”

Bai Qing took a deep breath. Worry filled his heart, yet the corners of his mouth still curved into a smile. “Seeing all the tragedies the Jing family has suffered, I truly don’t want you to make a wish to the Ancient Lotus. After all, behind every wish is a devastating price.”

He paused. Jing Liansheng listened in silence, not interrupting.

Bai Qing kept smiling. “But it seems you understand what making a wish to the Ancient Lotus means far better than I do, and you’ve still decided to do it. In that case, as your friend, all I can do is wish for your wish to be fulfilled.” 

Jing Liansheng hadn’t expected those words. He fell silent, his gaze dark and unreadable.

Bai Qing lifted his eyes, a playful smile on his face. “That said… can you promise me one thing too?”

Jing Liansheng hesitated, not answering right away.

“Just promise me,” Bai Qing leaned in a little. “Aren’t we friends?” 

As Bai Qing drew closer, Jing Liansheng caught that familiar, unique scent again. His fingers curled abruptly. His eyes fixed on the half-revealed collarbone at Bai Qing’s neckline, his Adam’s apple rolling unconsciously.

The lotus fragrance drifting lazily around the pond couldn’t suppress the scent spilling from the little living corpse’s collar. That trace of breath, wrapped in the cool dampness of the pondside air, bored straight into his marrow with every inhale.

Before, it had only been faintly enticing, enough to make Jing Liansheng think that siphoning off Bai Qing’s vital essence might be satisfying.

Reality, however, far exceeded his expectations. 

Jing Liansheng had tasted it once—and couldn’t forget it.

A scent that once required pressing close to Bai Qing’s neck to detect could now stir inner fire even from a polite distance. His gaze lingered on the ends of Bai Qing’s lowered hair, and despite himself, his mind flashed back to that cramped wooden coffin, to the impulse he’d had to bite through the other’s neck artery.

His Adam’s apple rolled again, as if swallowing that barely-there fragrance.

As though facing a ferocious tiger, Jing Liansheng instinctively retreated several steps, shifting aside. Lowering his voice, he said, “Speak.” 

There was an unmistakable concession in his tone.

Joy flashed through Bai Qing’s eyes. He hurriedly asked, “While we’re waiting for the ancient lotus to bloom… Can I keep you company?”

“Keep me company?” Jing Liansheng was caught off guard.

Bai Qing nodded. “As a friend—can I?” 

Jing Liansheng pressed his lips together, as though an immense weight bore down on him. Finally, unable to endure it any longer, he nodded. Bai Qing was overjoyed. So the ‘friend card’ really is this effective! As expected of my dead guy—so loyal, so righteous! Cold as frost to outsiders, but once he acknowledges you as a friend, he’s completely devoted!

Beaming, Bai Qing said, “That’s great! This legendary thousand-year-old lotus, blooming only once every hundred years, it must be an incredible sight, right?”

Jing Liansheng watched Bai Qing’s carefree, empty-headed smile and said nothing for a long while.

Though Bai Qing was smiling, dark clouds still loomed in his heart. 

He was deeply worried about the enormous price Jing Liansheng might pay for this wish. Yet he also knew all too well how stubborn Jing Liansheng was. Once he made a decision, he would never change it easily.

And Bai Qing’s own decision wouldn’t change either.

When Jing Liansheng made his wish, Bai Qing would be there.

According to the Ancient Lotus’s rules, if someone present made the same wish, they could share the cost together… 

Bai Qing’s resolve was already set. When Jing Liansheng made his wish, he would make the same one.

Whatever Jing Liansheng wished for, Bai Qing wanted it to come true. Whatever the price, he would bear it together with him. The two of them each harbored their own thoughts, facing each other in silence. The atmosphere grew heavy.

Suddenly, a phone notification sounded, breaking the stillness. Bai Qing casually picked up his phone and glanced at the screen, his brows knitting slightly.

“What is it?” Jing Liansheng asked. 

“It’s from Shifu.” Bai Qing’s expression turned serious. “He says Lin Zhao has arrived at the Jing residence and told us to avoid him for now.”

“Who is Lin Zhao?” Jing Liansheng asked. “Is he really worth avoiding?”

Bai Qing felt a bit helpless. “You’re a thousand-year-old great fierce spirit. Logically, there’s no need to fear him. It’s just that…”

“Just that what?” Jing Liansheng pressed. 

Bai Qing sighed. “To put it plainly… he’s kind of my grand-nephew.”

“I see.” Jing Liansheng raised a brow. “You don’t want him to hurt me, nor me to hurt him. You don’t want me to hide, though, do you?”

“I know that’s impossible,” Bai Qing admitted. “You’re not the type to retreat when facing an enemy.”

No one understood the current situation better than Bai Qing. 

Jing Liansheng was proud to the bone. Putting on sunscreen made him feel like he should soar up and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun itself. How could someone like that meekly jump into the water and kiss turtles?

Asking Jing Liansheng to give way to a Taoist priest was pure fantasy.

Though Bai Qing hadn’t known Lin Zhao long, he could tell Lin Zhao was just as stubborn. If a real fight broke out, on one side, his great fierce ghost husband and on the other, his honest junior nephew, Bai Qing could only stand in the middle, weak yet persistent, trying to explain: I’m really not a blood-soaked living corpse… I’m a sunshine living corpse… Yes, living corpses come in sunshine varieties too…

And my great fierce ghost isn’t some sinister demon either, he’s pretty upright. He even calls people “comrade”! 

—Of course, such an explanation would probably never be accepted by Lin Zhao.

And at that very moment, Lin Zhao had already arrived at the Jing residence, earnestly persuading Jing Er. “There really is a ghost in your house! Don’t you think he’s strange?“

Jing Er, just as earnestly, replied, “Please don’t discriminate against senior members of the anime fandom.”

The situation was thoroughly deadlocked. 

As if things weren’t chaotic enough, a faint breeze rippled across the lotus pond, carrying with it a few wisps of barely perceptible fragrance.

Bai Qing had only just begun to frown slightly when Jing Liansheng’s gaze suddenly sharpened. His killing aura condensed into a blade, shooting straight toward the source of the fragrance.

Tao Yaozhi, hidden among the lotus leaves, sensed the surge of killing intent. His heart jolted. He hurriedly twisted his body, dodging the attack. Though he moved quickly, the aura still grazed his sleeve. The fabric split open, and the exposed skin instantly bloomed with a bluish-purple mark.

Tao Yaozhi sucked in a sharp breath, his face filled with shock. “Such terrifying killing aura! Just a brush is enough to break my thousand-year demon body!” 

He knew very well he couldn’t possibly win against this yin fiend. In a panic, he lunged toward Bai Qing, trying to grab onto his thigh. Unexpectedly, the moment Jing Liansheng saw this, his brows knit even tighter. A flash of displeasure crossed his eyes.

Almost instantly, a cold, cutting barrier of gale-force energy formed in front of Bai Qing, blocking Tao Yaozhi completely.

Before Tao Yaozhi could even touch the hem of Bai Qing’s pants, he was violently blasted back by the sudden barrier. His body tumbled across the ground like a kite with its string cut, utterly miserable. Lying there, eyes wide, Tao Yaozhi was full of disbelief and grievance. I didn’t even do anything, and I still got beaten black and blue!

Bai Qing was all too familiar with that wind barrier. Every time he’d tried to touch Jing Liansheng before, he’d been smacked away just as mercilessly. 

Seeing Jing Liansheng about to make another move, clearly ready to twist Tao Yaozhi’s head clean off, Bai Qing hurriedly stepped in front of him, urgently calling out, “Liansheng, don’t!”

The moment those words left his mouth, the crushing pressure of the killing aura vanished without a trace.

Tao Yaozhi gasped as if he’d just survived a disaster, still sprawled on the ground. He stared at Bai Qing, then at Jing Liansheng, and stammered, “Lian… Liansheng…? He’s Liansheng?” His face was full of disbelief. “He—he’s the one you said was ten times better at martial arts than you, with a temper a hundred times worse…”

“Stop talking!” Bai Qing cut him off before he could finish. 

Bai Qing was both surprised and helpless. This peach blossom demon has way too good a memory. He still remembers things from a thousand years ago!

Tao Yaozhi also realized his words weren’t exactly flattering and promptly shut his mouth.

“Ten times better at martial arts, a temper a hundred times worse?” Jing Liansheng glanced at Bai Qing with faint interest. “That’s unreasonable.”

Bai Qing immediately put on an honest face and nodded vigorously. “Of course it’s unreasonable. He’s just talking nonsense. Don’t take it to heart.” 

Jing Liansheng nodded. “My martial arts are far more than ten times better than yours.”

Bai Qing hadn’t expected that to be the takeaway. He blinked. “What about the temper?”

Jing Liansheng looked at him. “Your temper is indeed very good.”

Bai Qing lit up. “Are you praising me?” 

Watching this, Tao Yaozhi was completely stunned. Is that really worth being this happy over? Looks like Crown Prince Liansheng really has no manners at all. Just saying one perfectly normal sentence makes the Saint Child this flattered!

Jing Liansheng pointed at Tao Yaozhi and asked Bai Qing, “You know this demon?”

Bai Qing snapped back to reality and reached out to help Tao Yaozhi up. “Yes. This is a new friend I made…” He was about to say the man’s name was Tao Yaozhi, but worried it would give him away, letting Jing Liansheng recognize him as the flower demon from a thousand years ago who nearly threw the court into chaos.

So he smoothly changed course. “His surname is Tao. You can call him Peach Bro—same as me.” 

“Peach Bro?” Tao Yaozhi froze.

Bai Qing shot him a look. “Peach Bro, you should keep calling me Bai-ge!”

Though utterly confused, Tao Yaozhi’s professional instincts kicked in. He adjusted immediately, keeping his charming smile intact as he nodded slightly. “Mm, Bai-ge.”

Bai Qing then gestured toward Jing Liansheng. “This is the Jing family’s eldest young master.” 

“The Jing family’s eldest young master…?” Tao Yaozhi’s thoughts became even more tangled. Wasn’t Liansheng the Crown Prince?

Despite his confusion, his smile never wavered. “Alright, I understand.”

His gaze flicked back and forth between the two of them, trying to read something from their expressions, but finding nothing.

Bai Qing asked, “Peach Bro, why did you suddenly come here?” 

Tao Yaozhi immediately put on a pitiful, near-tearful expression, his eyes reddening. “It’s that damn Taoist, Lin Zhao! He’s been relentlessly chasing me! I was completely cornered, so I had no choice but to come to you for protection.”

Hearing this, Bai Qing frowned, helplessness in his eyes. “Lin Zhao really is… the type to attack any demon or ghost he sees.”

Jing Liansheng said coldly, “Humans are like that. If you’re not a friend, you’re an enemy. So, which side do you intend to stand on?”

“Why does it have to come to taking sides so quickly?” Bai Qing objected. “If we can coexist peacefully, there’s no need to think about fighting and killing.” 

Before he could finish, voices drifted faintly over from the waterside corridor. Listening closely, it was Jing Er and Lin Zhao.

Jing Er was explaining earnestly, “Master, you’ll believe me when you see him. He’s really just pale-skinned! He’s obsessive about sunscreen. What’s strange about having a fair face?”

Lin Zhao snapped back irritably, “That’s not what ‘fair-skinned’ is!”

He paused, as if sensing something. “Good. The peach blossom demon is here too. Perfect, I’ll finish everything in one go!” 

With that, Lin Zhao drew his sword and immediately entered a battle-ready stance.

His vajra virgin qi was pure and untainted. Even before he struck, his protective aura spread outward. Standing at the other end of the pond, Jing Liansheng, Bai Qing, and Tao Yaozhi all felt the unmistakable threat.

Lin Zhao’s eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, locked tightly on their direction. The tip of his sword trembled slightly, ready to erupt with a lethal strike at any moment.