Ch45 – Memories connected

Translator: Abo Dammen

Realizing Bai Qing’s innuendo, the elders blushed and dodged, hurriedly saying, “We didn’t mean to disrespect you. It’s just… you… you have one yao servant and one ghost servant on hand, both with a thousand years of cultivation. They’re definitely not ordinary beings…”

Hearing this, Tao Yaozhi couldn’t sit still.

He had been willing to pretend to be a yao servant for self-preservation. But now, realizing he might have to face a monster capable of massacring the entire sect, he immediately refused, waving his hands frantically. “Ah? I can’t do it! My close combat and ranged combat are both terrible. Aside from being flamboyant, I have no strengths. I can’t possibly ‘flirt to death’ that evil thing, can I?”

As he spoke, Tao Yaozhi also sneaked a glance at Bai Qing, afraid Bai Qing would actually take him to the back mountains to subdue the demon. Bai Qing, however, said nothing, simply lowering his head in thought. Jing Liansheng remained silent, standing behind Bai Qing. Though quiet, his firm silence conveyed that he had no personal initiative and would fully follow Bai Qing’s command. 

Seeing this, everyone present became even more convinced that Bai Qing had already tamed the powerful evil Jing Liansheng. A glimmer of hope appeared in their eyes.

The third elder, however, didn’t rush Bai Qing for a response. He just smiled faintly and said, “I know we’ve discussed too much in one day. It’s indeed hard for you to make a decision immediately. It’s also getting late. Why don’t you rest early? Anything else can be discussed tomorrow.”

Bai Qing heard this and gladly agreed. He indeed needed some time to digest everything he had heard today and to quietly think about his next plan. So he nodded and said, “Alright. Then we’ll rest for now. We can discuss tomorrow.”

Thus, the elders summoned disciples to lead Bai Qing’s group to the prepared guest rooms. 

At the door of the guest room, Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng stepped in. Tao Yaozhi, however, remained at the doorway, looking hesitant. Bai Qing smiled and asked, “What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you were a delicate flower, couldn’t withstand wind or rain, and needed to sleep inside?”

Tao Yaozhi hurriedly said, “Bai-ge, don’t tease me! I clearly said I was a wildflower who can handle wind and rain!” Tao Yaozhi also didn’t insist on going inside, because once inside, they would definitely discuss the exorcism. Tao Yaozhi had absolutely no desire to join such a dangerous mission.

Are you kidding? A demon capable of annihilating the Xuanmen sect!

If I, Tao Yaozhi, went ahead, who knows how my fate would end! 

Bai Qing didn’t push him further. After teasing him a bit, he entered the room with Jing Liansheng.

Tao Yaozhi immediately closed the door for them.

Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng sat down in the room. Jing Liansheng quietly poured a glass of water. That small action gave a faint sense of domesticity.

Bai Qing muttered in his heart, ‘Do ghosts get thirsty too?’ 

Just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw Jing Liansheng gently push the cup toward him. Bai Qing felt warmth in his heart and was about to tease, ‘What, even after closing the door, you still have to play ghost servant?’

But the words froze on his tongue as an inexplicable chill suddenly washed over him. His sixth sense was triggered as if electrified. He quickly scanned the room with his spiritual sense, only feeling the presence of eyes watching them from the shadows. The sensation was like being under surveillance, making him utterly uneasy. Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng exchanged a glance. From each other’s eyes, they read the same information. Whoever was watching could be from the sect, or it could be an unknown evil. Whatever it was, they had better continue playing the roles of celestial master and ghost servant perfectly, without revealing any cracks.

They tacitly nodded in agreement.

Bai Qing picked up the teacup, striking the posture of a ghost-taming master. His gaze was full of haughty disdain, as if the Jing Liansheng before him was merely a compliant little ghost under his command. 

Jing Liansheng surprisingly went along with the act, becoming meek and obedient. It was truly a sight to behold.

Bai Qing had never seen Jing Liansheng so obedient. His heart tingled. He reached out and covered Jing Liansheng’s hand, deliberately teasing, lightly stroking it. Jing Liansheng’s hand suddenly tensed, but seemingly out of commitment to the role, he didn’t pull away coldly as before.

Bai Qing grew more excited and said, “The Xuanmen sect actually wants me to subdue the evil thing in the back mountains! How could I possibly do that?” Then, deliberately using a cloying, sweet tone, he whispered into Jing Liansheng’s ear, “Baobao, don’t be jealous. There are thousands of evil things in the world. I’ll only… subdue you.”

Hearing this, Jing Liansheng stiffened like being struck by lightning, completely unable to play along. His expression almost read: Bro, that’s not in the script. 

Bai Qing saw this and smiled even more smugly, keeping his cheek pressed against Jing Liansheng’s ear.

His gaze drifted down, examining Jing Liansheng’s ear. It seemed the first time he had been so close to Jing Liansheng in such a quiet and intimate moment. Jing Liansheng, being a ghostly entity, was naturally pale, so his ears were no exception. They had a jade-hook contour, ear lobes dangling, with pale blue veins visibly winding under the thin skin.

Bai Qing reached out almost unconsciously. By the time he realized it, his disobedient fingers had already pinched Jing Liansheng’s ear, feeling the slight stiffening of his body. Jing Liansheng did not resist, only furrowing his brows and slightly turning his head, likely to maintain the role he was playing, enduring Bai Qing’s intimacy.

His expression was complex. He is seemingly helpless, seemingly reproachful, yet also there was that sense of inexplicable indulgence. 

Bai Qing noticed Jing Liansheng’s stiffness and felt a twinge of guilt. Why can’t I control my hands?

Although it was acting, although it was a joke, it shouldn’t go too far. Bai Qing liked Jing Liansheng, but that didn’t mean he could tease him casually, disrespecting his feelings.

Bai Qing withdrew his hand, creating distance. Yet his eyes continued to observe Jing Liansheng. Clearly, after the distance was pulled, Jing Liansheng visibly relaxed, even letting out a barely perceptible sigh.

Bai Qing felt conflicted. He doesn’t like me being so close. 

What I just did was a bit too much.

He cleared his throat, bringing the topic back on track. “Regarding the sect’s request, what do you think?”

Mentioning the serious matter cleared all traces of erotic tension. Jing Liansheng’s expression became serious. He pondered for a moment, then slowly said, “I think we should still investigate the back mountains. This matter feels suspicious. We cannot just sit by and do nothing.”

Bai Qing also agreed. Leaving aside the connection to Ying Zhili and the Ancient Lotus, which he, Bai Qing, couldn’t help but want to trace, even if there was no connection to Ying Zhili, Bai Qing could not simply watch death happen. 

He was Bai Qing, but he was also Ci Ying.

Bai Qing lowered his eyes in thought for a while. “However, it will probably be very dangerous. That little peach blossom cannot, and will not, go in.”

“Of course, we cannot force him,” Jing Liansheng paused, then added, “Not just him… you also may not necessarily need to go in…”

“Me not going either?” Bai Qing’s eyes widened in disbelief, staring at Jing Liansheng. “Then you’ll go in alone?” 

Jing Liansheng looked at Bai Qing. “If you go in, I must divide my attention to protect you.”

Bai Qing was dumbfounded. Hmm… In Jing Liansheng’s eyes right now, I’m a weak little undead.

Jing Liansheng’s gaze on Bai Qing seemed to detect the slightest crack in the eggshell.

Bai Qing didn’t notice Jing Liansheng’s scrutinizing gaze, and just muttered to himself, “But… since I’m carrying the title of celestial master, I definitely have to go in with you. There’s no logic in a ghost servant going in alone while the master sleeps outside. Besides, if only you go in and I don’t, people in the sect probably wouldn’t feel at ease either.” 

Jing Liansheng nodded in agreement without objection. “You’re right. That makes sense.”

Bai Qing was a little surprised. Jing Liansheng was persuaded so easily?

It also felt a bit strange. After all, in Bai Qing’s impression, Jing Liansheng was stubborn. Once he made a decision, it was very hard to change.

“Then make sure you take the ritual tools,” Bai Qing said. As he spoke, Jing Liansheng conjured a box out of thin air and handed it to Bai Qing. 

Bai Qing opened the box. Inside lay—sure enough—that familiar peachwood sword.

Bai Qing looked up in surprise. “This… this sword… wasn’t it hanging in the West Wing?”

It was Ci Ying’s relic, always enshrined in the West Wing.

Jing Liansheng calmly said, “The peachwood sword is a good tool against evil. Carrying it with you is always beneficial.” 

Bai Qing took the sword. His palm caressed the hilt. The familiar texture made his heart skip a beat, as if an old friend he hadn’t seen for years had suddenly given him a warm embrace. His gaze became momentarily dazed, but quickly regained its focus. He gripped the sword tightly.

“The night is already late. Something important may happen tomorrow,” Jing Liansheng said, standing up. “Master, you should rest early.”

Bai Qing nodded lightly. Holding the peachwood sword close, he slowly lay down on the bed. The lights were extinguished, and the bed curtain gently fell, separating him from the outside world. Because he was an undead, his night vision was good. He could still make out Jing Liansheng’s ghostly figure behind the curtain.

He imagined Jing Liansheng standing by the bed like an ice pillar, dutifully playing the role of a ghost servant. In a dangerous place, he’d never leave his side, sleepless and tireless, only to protect the master who had claimed him. 

Bai Qing closed his eyes. His fingertips brushed against the peachwood sword. At that moment, he felt a strange resonance. A warm, familiar power flowed from the sword into his veins. His heart jolted. In his hazy memory, a new gear started to fit. Fragmented pieces flickered in his mind, yet remained elusive.

The feeling was both unfamiliar and familiar. A long-lost part of himself was slowly returning.

Suddenly, a strong intuition surged, impossible to ignore.

Bai Qing, as if guided by some ghostly impulse, took up the peachwood sword and traced it across his fingers. A sharp pain came. Tiny droplets of blood appeared at his fingertips. Simultaneously, his soul left his body! 

He finally remembered his most basic and unique ability as the Saint Child—communicating with heaven and earth!

He could feel the pulse of heaven and earth, as if every wisp of wind, every drifting cloud, was telling him its story. The peachwood sword in his hand became a bridge, connecting past and present, allowing him to live in the moment while clearly seeing the trajectory of the past. This was also why his first crossing through time had been performed using the peachwood sword!

This time, traveling through, he was supremely confident in his steps, unlike before when it had been just a fleeting soul-body blackout.

In the blink of an eye, he arrived on a long, winding river. He traced it upstream. As far as his eyes could see, floating lamps drifted across the water. 

He didn’t feel eerie. Instead, he felt at peace.

Those were markers left by his past self.

He closed his eyes, focusing. His thoughts drifted like falling snow, slowly converging into a clear path. His past crossings hadn’t unfolded linearly, but like scattered puzzle pieces, intertwined in disorder. He knew well that to lift the fog, he first had to pick up each fragment and piece them together.

Thus, he immersed himself in the long river of time, letting his thoughts drift with the water, meticulously sorting out the complex timeline. Scenes from the past replayed like film reels in his mind. He began arranging these events in chronological order. 

First, he had been chosen as the Saint Child. As an infant, he parted from his mother, entered the palace, and cultivated for years.

His spells grew increasingly refined. Every three years, he participated in the Lotus Kingdom martial arts competition.

Through these repeated competitions, he gradually stood out and also formed an unbreakable bond with Jing Liansheng. They almost always met in the finals, sparring with one another, each time winning and losing alternately.

Trapped in his cage, he couldn’t help but fall for the Jing Liansheng who soared like an eagle in the sky. 

As for Jing Liansheng… he had never liked the Lotus Sect. The secret acts of affection from Bai Qing were viewed with suspicion.

Bolao, who accompanied him, noticed his feelings and urged him to give Jing Liansheng the love bell. This only deepened Jing Liansheng’s distrust toward him. Perhaps due to this distrust, Jing Liansheng secretly followed him when he went out on exorcisms. He discovered that outside, Bai Qing disguised himself, squandered money, and indulged in extravagance, showing none of the usual cold, saintly demeanor. Jing Liansheng further concluded that he was a hypocrite, no different from the other corrupt members of the Lotus Sect.

Enemy nations harassed the borders. Jing Liansheng petitioned to fight for the people, but was reprimanded by the emperor and forced to kneel at the palace gate.

After untangling these timelines, Bai Qing quickly found a key anchor point. Between Jing Liansheng’s following him and the enemy nation’s border invasion, there were several years missing. Something must have happened in those years. 

That was the place he needed to investigate.

He traced the river upstream and picked up the floating lamp at the key point. He blew on it, and the light went out.

His vision darkened, and his soul traveled back through time.

When he opened his eyes again, becoming Ci Ying, he was stunned. 

He found himself sitting on Jing Liansheng.

Not in a proper, formal way.

It was a rather dynamic, intense position.

Not only could it be called sitting, it could also be called riding, or… mounting!