Ch59 – The coffin shakes again… and again… and again

Translator: Abo Dammen

The group returned to the sect. 

Lin Zhao and the three senior elders went directly to the Grand Elder’s residence, laying out the truth about the back mountain one by one.

Listening to their account, the Grand Elder’s expression shifted from calm to shock, then finally settling into profound grief.

They pondered for a long while but ultimately decided not to tell the disciples the full truth. They only informed them that the crisis of the evil entity on the back mountain had been resolved. Upon hearing this, the disciples all cheered and leapt with joy, their faces radiating the relief of having narrowly escaped death.

Lin Zhao and the three senior elders watched the disciples’ jubilant figures with complex, inscrutable expressions. 

As for Jing Liansheng and Bai Qing, they had returned to their guest quarters early.

Jing Liansheng carried Bai Qing on his back, passing through the sect’s long corridors until they entered the room. It was empty. Tao Yaozhi had long since vanished, which was expected.

Jing Liansheng didn’t say much. He gently placed Bai Qing on the bed, then knelt before him.

He reached out, holding Bai Qing’s ankle, his fingertips brushing the other’s shoelaces. Raising his gaze, he asked, “Should I take your shoes off?” 

Bai Qing stared at him, stunned. He was used to Jing Liansheng treating him coldly, so this meticulous, subtle gentleness left him feeling afloat.

He blinked, a dazed expression on his face, murmuring softly, “Am I still dreaming and haven’t woken up?”

Jing Liansheng, holding Bai Qing’s ankle, lifted his crimson eyes to look at him. “I have the same feeling.”

Their gazes met. 

Bai Qing lowered his eyes. “You know who I am now…”

“You have always been you.” Jing Liansheng knelt on one knee, his fingertips brushing the protruding bones of Bai Qing’s ankle. “It was I who didn’t see clearly.”

Bai Qing paused.

Jing Liansheng lowered his head, untying Bai Qing’s shoes and socks, his black hair falling to obscure his features, looking every bit like a loyal attendant. “I was wrong.” 

Bai Qing’s eyes nearly spilled tears, but a smile curved his lips. “No… you weren’t wrong.”

No one was wrong.

Bai Qing bit his lip. “Then… Do you still want to have that life-or-death duel with me?”

Jing Liansheng’s fingertips trembled slightly as he carefully pulled Bai Qing’s socks down to the arch of his foot. “If that is what you wish.” 

Bai Qing sighed inwardly. ‘What I thought back then… How could it have been about wanting to fight to the death?’

He clearly knew he would eventually become a living corpse, resting underground forever. How could someone like him have truly sought that so-called life-or-death battle? Yet he had deliberately made that promise to Jing Liansheng.

Because he had always felt that Jing Liansheng was cold and indifferent toward him. Their only connection had been the competition for first place. Only that contest could hold Jing Liansheng’s attention. And Jing Liansheng, being a man of his word, would keep that promise. If he could use this arrangement to prevent Jing Liansheng from acting recklessly or offending the emperor, perhaps he could secure a shred of survival for Jing Liansheng.

Back then, Ci Ying had been somewhat naïve, thinking, “A tiger, though fierce, does not eat its cubs.” As long as they survived that period, if the Crown Prince lived to ascend the throne, things would eventually improve. 

Who would have thought…

Bai Qing’s thoughts lingered for a long while. Finally, a trace of relieved smile appeared on his face. “If it’s the ‘you-die-I-rot’ promise… we’ve already fulfilled it.” Bai Qing poked Jing Liansheng’s tense jaw with his fingertip. “No need to be so rigid about it.”

Hearing this, Jing Liansheng’s eyes flashed with a memory, a flicker of sorrow in his crimson gaze. His buried memories turned into a blade, stabbing him painfully.

Unable to bear seeing him like this, Bai Qing bent down, placing both hands on Jing Liansheng’s cold face, a teasing smile on his lips. “There’s one more question… the most important one.” 

“What?” Jing Liansheng asked, lifting his head.

Bai Qing smiled. “That desire you mentioned on the back mountain… Do you still have it now?”

Bai Qing felt his ankle gripped tighter. Then the arch of his foot was pressed against Jing Liansheng’s taut thigh.

The fierce ghost’s cold lips touched Bai Qing’s leg. “I always have.” 

Perhaps because of the blending of their original spiritual fires in life, Bai Qing’s aura carried a deadly allure for Jing Liansheng. Radiating from the depths of his soul, every approach made Jing Liansheng, long turned into a fierce ghost, tremble with desire.

Jing Liansheng had always restrained himself. But today, he finally decided not to restrain himself anymore. The socks were long gone. Bai Qing’s arch pressed against Jing Liansheng’s skin, the touch icy cold.

This was a bloodless living corpse. Pale calves with faint blue veins wind within, no longer coursing with vibrant blood. Instead, it was pure yin spiritual energy, flowing slowly like a serene stream, yet it further aroused Jing Liansheng’s greed.

Jing Liansheng hunted it like a shark sensing blood. 

His lips parted slightly. Two sharp fangs slowly emerged, glinting coldly in the dim light, like arrows ready to pierce flesh at any moment.

Bai Qing felt the deadly malice from the fierce ghost—cold, eerie, capable of effortlessly tearing him apart. Yet his face held not a trace of fear, not even a frown. Instead, his heart was filled with warmth. He slowly lifted his calf, placing his ankle against Jing Liansheng’s teeth. The distance between skin and fangs was so close he could feel both the cold… and the affection.

Sunlight broke gently, morning light streaming through the window into the courtyard. Lin Zhao and the four elders had long since prepared tea and food to entertain Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng.

However, even by late morning, the guest room door remained tightly shut. There was no movement from the two inside. 

Lin Zhao felt slightly odd, brow furrowing as he said to the elders beside him, “Should we send someone to invite them? Or check on them?”

The Grand Elder stroked his beard, calm, a hint of understanding in his tone. “Come to think of it, yesterday’s great battle must have exhausted them. It’s normal they wouldn’t rise early today. It would be rude for us to disturb them.”

Hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement.

After all, Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng were the sect’s great benefactors. Naturally, everyone treated them with utmost respect. Thus, they carefully prepared lunch. Though the sect was poor and could not offer anything extravagant, they made it as lavish as possible, the aroma filling the air. Yet, even by afternoon, the guest room door remained immovably shut. 

Lin Zhao’s curiosity grew, but out of respect, he did not dare to disturb them.

By evening, as the sun set and the sky darkened, Lin Zhao and the elders again prepared dinner. Yet Bai Qing and Jing Liansheng still had not appeared.

Finally, Lin Zhao could no longer restrain himself and decided to go personally.

He walked to the courtyard gate. Before even raising his hand to knock, a cold, oppressive aura hit him. Countless invisible chills swirled in the air. The moonlight itself seemed intimidated by the aura, thus quietly retreating behind the clouds. The world fell into a sudden gloom. 

Lin Zhao stood at the door, inhaling deeply, and gently tapped it with respect. “Dinner is ready. I wonder if the two of you are available…”

Before his words had even finished, the aura intensified. Cold seeped through the door crack, pressing directly against his face. Through the door, he vaguely sensed a pair of crimson eyes glaring at him coldly. The gaze carried clear displeasure, as if his presence had interrupted something important.

Lin Zhao’s hand froze mid-air, his fingertips turning slightly cold. A premonition arose. What lay behind the door was not something easily discernible.

The chilling aura acted like a barrier, isolating him outside and making him hesitate to advance further. 

He instinctively stepped back, his throat tightening slightly, voice lowering, “If it is inconvenient, this junior will take his leave for now.”

Having said that, he turned and hurried away. Though his steps were steady, they carried urgency. Only after leaving the range of the oppressive aura did he slightly relax, still feeling the lingering cold when looking back at the tightly shut courtyard door.

The moonlight was obscured by clouds. The courtyard was shrouded in darkness. From behind the guest room door came intermittent, low, violent sounds, like a beast repeatedly striking in the darkness, mixed with suppressed panting, faint but unmistakable.

Lin Zhao dared not linger and quickly left. 

The four elders naturally noticed this strange phenomenon as well.

Some disciples, alarmed by the unusual signs, came to ask the elders and Lin Zhao, “Elders, has the evil entity in the back mountain not been completely resolved? This scene… it looks like a supreme yin entity is cultivating!”

The Grand Elder stroked his beard, calm and steady. “Do not worry. Everything has its natural order.”

The disciples, though still uneasy, saw the elders and Lin Zhao’s composed expressions and fell silent, leaving with relief. After the disciples had gone, the Fourth Elder whispered to the Grand Elder, “Senior brother, what do you think is happening?” 

The Grand Elder paused, gazing deeply at the guest quarters, and slowly said, “They entered a sealed formation in the back mountain. Perhaps they sustained some hidden injuries. They may be cultivating to heal. It is best not to disturb them.”

The others found this reasoning convincing.

Lin Zhao also agreed with the Grand Elder’s speculation but felt some concern, thinking Jing Liansheng and Bai Qing might have indeed suffered hidden injuries.

Who would have guessed that Jing Liansheng and Bai Qing’s “cultivation” would last an entire week? 

The condensed yin energy made the mountain perpetually overcast, and the humidity remained extremely high.

The disciples worried as well. The sect had no dryer, and their stock of dry underwear was running low.

On Monday morning, the weather finally cleared. The long-awaited sunlight poured into the courtyard, dispelling the lingering gloom. The courtyard where Jing Liansheng and Bai Qing stayed finally saw its doors open.

Lin Zhao and the four elders hurried over, concern etched on their faces. The Grand Elder stroked his beard, voice gentle, “You two have finally emerged. Is everything alright?” 

Hearing the term “emerged from seclusion,” Bai Qing’s eyelids twitched slightly, his expression subtly shifting. Though he could be shameless in front of Jing Liansheng, having once been a Saint Child, he did not want to say too much in front of outsiders.

Thus, Bai Qing deftly took the lead. “Mhm, yes, we have emerged.”

Seeing this, Lin Zhao said with concern, “That’s good. Your cultivation must have been very arduous.”

Bai Qing scratched the back of his head. “You could… you could say that…” Suddenly remembering something, he said, slightly apologetic, “We were a bit too intense during our ‘cultivation.’ We may have damaged some of your furniture. I hope you don’t mind.” At this, Bai Qing cast a faintly reproachful look at Jing Liansheng. 

Jing Liansheng, with the temperament of someone from a grand noble family, said bluntly, “The furniture here wasn’t very sturdy.”

Lin Zhao conceded. “Indeed, it is a bit old.”

The Grand Elder smiled, smoothing the situation. “No matter. Furniture can be replaced. As long as you two are safe, that is the best outcome.”

The other elders nodded in agreement, and the atmosphere immediately lightened. 

Lin Zhao stepped inside and looked around, utterly stunned.

He had expected “some minor damage” from Bai Qing’s words, but the scene before him… it looked as if a fierce ghost had been living here for a week—or, for the uninitiated, a wild Samoyed.

The bed was completely broken. Boards lay scattered and the posts were shattered. The wardrobe was equally ruined, its doors crooked, boards splintered. Even the screen had fallen, its once-delicate carvings now shattered…

The most outrageous thing was that even the large stone in the courtyard had cracked! 

Lin Zhao stood at the doorway, speechless, utterly shocked. But he quickly reminded himself, ‘The seniors’ realms were unfathomable. Of course, this was beyond a mere mortal’s comprehension.’

Lin Zhao grabbed his notebook, eager to learn, and asked Bai Qing, “May I ask you to introduce this cultivation method? I truly wish to learn…”

Bai Qing gave him a sidelong glance. “You think you can learn just because you want to? There are conditions you don’t have.”

Lin Zhao was dumbfounded, confused and resentful. “What… conditions I don’t have? Ones that even diligent practice cannot compensate for?” 

Bai Qing thought: Is this really a talent that diligence and hard study can make up for?

How long can your [redacted] go without needing a break?

How many times can your [redacted] be stretched and still continue to function immediately?

Can your [redacted] change size, shape, and appearance at will?