Chapter 477 – My Master Is Not Human – There’s Really No Need (24)
The little squirrel’s foodie nature never changed. Even if Tang Tang became more awkward and shy, as long as this trait was properly handled, nothing would be a problem.
Pei Boyi filled Bai Tang in on some knowledge about the Le’an Immortal Sect, then leisurely led him back. Tang Tang’s comfort came first; everything else was secondary.
Both of them were cultivators, so no matter how slowly they traveled, they could not really be that slow. On the fourth day after the sect leader issued the recall order, they arrived at the Le’an Immortal Sect.
Pei Boyi gently smoothed Bai Tang’s long hair that had been tousled by the wind. Bai Tang obediently did not resist. Half of his delicate little face was buried in the fluffy fur collar around his neck, something Pei Boyi had specially prepared because he was worried Bai Tang would catch a chill while flying on swords.
“Will they really not notice?”
The Le’an Immortal Sect was a major sect, and anyone capable of becoming sect leader was no fool. Bai Tang was a demonic cultivator, entering the territory of a righteous sect all by himself. Even if he was powerful, if they fought shamelessly and used a battle of attrition against him, taking turns one after another, sooner or later his demonic energy would be exhausted.
His watery almond-shaped eyes looked at Pei Boyi with concern. He did not doubt that Pei Boyi would betray him, but if he truly exposed some flaw and got caught, then Pei Boyi, just a minor cultivator, probably would not even be able to protect himself, much less help him.
“Ah… don’t worry about me. Just run first.”
Just while fixing his appearance, Tang Tang had already imagined some dramatic situation again.
Pei Boyi found it amusing. His Tang Tang simply had too much imagination and always loved thinking about all sorts of random things.
“Where could I run to? If something really happens and the sect no longer accepts me, then only by staying with Tang Tang would I have any chance of surviving.”
Bai Tang looked at Pei Boyi’s sincere expression and thought it over. That was true. The other party was weak in strength, and if someone targeted him, he would definitely be captured. And the consequences…
“Then stay with me,” Bai Tang said with his head tilted, wearing an expression that said ‘there’s nothing I can do with you.’ His face carried both indulgence and helplessness toward Pei Boyi. “Just be careful not to let anyone see through us.”
Clearly Bai Tang was the one who had gone astray, yet now he had somehow been led off course by Pei Boyi instead, making it seem as though Pei Boyi’s identity was the shameful secret.
Pei Boyi did not expose the misunderstanding. In an excellent mood, he continued acting pitiful.
“Please have mercy on me, Tang Tang.”
“Mhm, mercy, mercy.” Seeing his own husband acting miserable, Bai Tang’s heart softened immediately. In a sweet, childish voice, he said, “I won’t abandon you.”
Bai Tang had not become overly fearful from being hurt once before. Although demonic cultivators who once sought his protection had betrayed him, he felt Pei Boyi was different from them.
Being with him always felt comfortable. He took such meticulous care of him, and they had even done embarrassing, intimate things before (kissing). Bai Tang had never done any of that with those demonic cultivators who followed him, nor had he ever wanted to become close to them.
Pei Boyi was different from everyone else.
So he would simply protect him more.
Bai Tang shyly thought to himself that he should show Ah Yi even more affection, and if Ah Yi got hurt, he would give him a few extra kisses.
Thinking of this, the young man’s entire face turned red. He shrank his neck back and pulled his scarf higher, wishing he could bury his whole face in the fluffy collar.
During the short time the two of them lingered at the entrance, the gatekeeping disciples had already informed the sect leader.
“Xiao Tang, is that Xiao Tang?” the sect leader called out loudly.
He quickly walked over to the two of them. Bai Tang revealed only a pair of round eyes from within the fluffy collar and spoke in a soft, sweet voice through the warm fur.
“Senior Brother Sect Leader~”
“Ah~” The sect leader, carrying the heart of an anxious father, finally felt some relief. “It’s good that you’re back, good that you’re back.”
“I made Senior Brother Sect Leader worry. Bai Tang was at fault. Bai Tang asks for your forgiveness~”
Although Bai Tang had lost his memories, the familiar title from the past slipped out naturally the moment he saw the sect leader.
The sect leader was nearly moved to tears. He looked at Pei Boyi standing behind Bai Tang. Back then, this person had only been a child with a mixed spiritual root, yet now he was capable of supporting Medicine Peak in his junior brother’s absence and had even brought his junior brother back.
“You… very good.” The sect leader’s gaze deepened, and the look he gave Pei Boyi was full of approval.
His junior brother truly had not misjudged him back then.
Pei Boyi did not become smug from a few words of praise from the sect leader.
“This is what this disciple ought to do. Tang Tang deserves the very best in the world.”
Meeting Pei Boyi’s affectionate gaze, Bai Tang shyly lowered his head. His little follower really had a tongue sweeter than honey.
Having lived more than half his life, if the sect leader still could not see what was going on between the two of them, then all those years would have been wasted.
He raised a trembling finger and pointed at Pei Boyi’s nose. The appreciation he had felt moments ago shattered instantly into pieces.
“You little brat! So you had ulterior motives all along!”
The junior brother he had painstakingly raised had been snatched away by a pig—and not just any pig, but a pig with mixed spiritual roots.
At that moment, the sect leader no longer remembered things like promising young talent, leader of Medicine Peak, or savior of the cultivation world. He only knew that Pei Boyi had been coveting Bai Tang, and while everyone had been off guard, he had deceived their adorable squirrel-like junior brother and stolen his heart.
“Martial Uncle, your words are unfair. Tang Tang and I are deeply in love and have already made a dao companion pledge.”
Pei Boyi took out the token he had exchanged with Bai Tang before entering the Daji Secret Realm.
The sect leader took a closer look.
Wasn’t that his junior brother’s jade pendant, the one he had worn since childhood?
Good grief—so this guy really had been plotting against his junior brother from the very beginning. Maybe even joining the Le’an Immortal Sect had been part of his plan all along.
It had to be said, Senior Brother Sect Leader had accidentally guessed the truth.
Bai Tang stood obediently to the side without saying anything, but the blush on his cheeks still betrayed the turmoil in his heart.
Pei Boyi had even joined the Le’an Immortal Sect because of him?
Bai Tang secretly raised his eyes, only to find Pei Boyi looking at him. He immediately lowered his head again. Senior Brother Sect Leader was still here—how could he not show a little restraint?
“Whether you say so or not, marriages should still follow the wishes of parents and the guidance of matchmakers. Although Xiao Tang’s parents and master are no longer here, his senior brothers raised him. The eldest brother is like a father. We’ll discuss this matter later.”
For cultivators who had stepped into higher realms, such formalities could be observed or ignored as they pleased. Unless one held a particularly important status, people generally did not place much importance on them. The sect leader was clearly being unreasonable on purpose and simply pushed the matter aside.
“Alright, that settles it for now. People from the Dianxing Sect have arrived. I heard that you went there to borrow the Radiant Pearl. Xiao Tang, go back to Medicine Peak and rest first. Pei Boyi, come with me.”
The sect leader’s attitudes toward the two of them were like heaven and earth apart; the difference in treatment could not have been more obvious.
Bai Tang looked at Pei Boyi worriedly. The latter gently patted the back of his hand and said softly, “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.”
Pei Boyi found a disciple to escort Bai Tang back to Medicine Peak while he followed behind the sect leader.
Bai Tang absentmindedly followed the disciple through twists and turns. The disciples of Medicine Peak had long since received news that their master had returned. They had waited and waited, but he never showed up. Just as they were considering whether to go check the entrance themselves, their adorable and kind master finally returned.
“Master…”
“Master, Master…”
“Master has returned…”
“This disciple has worried day and night. Master has finally returned safely…”
People always say that women talking together sound like a flock of ducks, but a crowd of men making noise was no less chaotic.
Bai Tang felt so overwhelmed by the noise that his head started spinning, and he shouted:
“Quiet, everyone!”
Fortunately, the Medicine Peak disciples were obedient. The moment they heard their master speak, they immediately fell silent. Only then did Bai Tang feel his head clear up.
“I know your intentions were sincere. Go do what you should be doing. Cultivate more and improve your strength—that’s more important than anything else. You’re all dismissed.”
Bai Tang’s words filled the Medicine Peak disciples with guilt. If they had not been so weak, their master would not have needed to risk entering the Daji Secret Realm, encountering danger and only returning now.
The eldest disciple of Medicine Peak organized the others to go train. Driven by their determination to protect their master, they eventually became the most united group in the cultivation world and encountered the fewest obstacles during ascension, progressing more smoothly than anyone else.
But that was a story for another time.
Without anyone guiding him, Bai Tang somehow found his way back to the main hall. As he looked at the familiar furnishings before him, two figures slowly began to appear.
“Tang Tang, it’s time to eat. No more snacks, or you won’t be able to finish dinner, and then you’ll complain about being hungry in the middle of the night.”
“I can eat snacks until I’m full. Then I won’t get hungry.”
“Nope. Give me the little pouch.”
“Bleh, no way. If you can snatch it, then it’s yours.”
The young man raised the small pouch above his head and ran all around the room with the man chasing after him. As an observer, Bai Tang could see clearly that the man could have caught up at any moment, yet he never actually tried to take the pouch away. The room was filled with laughter and joy, so warm and comforting that it made others envious.
A gust of wind swept in through the window, and the illusion vanished.
So this was how he and Ah Yi used to get along.
Bai Tang suddenly felt a sense of emptiness and loss, and he began missing Pei Boyi even though they had only been apart for a short while.
Without Pei Boyi by his side, time seemed to pass painfully slowly and felt utterly meaningless.
“When are you coming back? I miss you…” Bai Tang murmured by the window as he looked at the flourishing spiritual herbs outside.
“I miss Tang Tang too.”
A warm embrace suddenly wrapped around him from behind.
“Being able to receive Tang Tang’s affection makes me very happy.”
“Ah Yi…” Bai Tang murmured. He took the initiative to grab Pei Boyi’s arm and asked, “Senior Brother Sect Leader didn’t make things difficult for you, did he?”
“Martial Uncle Sect Leader cares deeply for his junior brother, so he gave me a little ‘lesson’…”
The so-called “lesson of love” clearly was not meant in a positive sense. Bai Tang quickly turned around and grabbed Pei Boyi, checking him over from head to toe. Anxiety filled his voice.
“Are you alright? Does anything hurt? Tell me where it hurts and I’ll kiss it better.”
Pei Boyi had originally intended to say he was fine, but Bai Tang’s words — “I’ll kiss it better” — instantly changed his mind.
He covered his chest and slightly furrowed his brows.
“It hurts a little.”
Bai Tang nervously pulled open Pei Boyi’s clothes, but his fair chest showed no signs of injury at all.
“Martial Uncle Sect Leader is a great cultivation expert. Internal injuries don’t leave visible wounds,” Pei Boyi said calmly when he met Bai Tang’s puzzled gaze.
“I’m injured. I beg the Demon Lord to show me mercy.”
Pei Boyi said it with complete seriousness, making Bai Tang—who had briefly suspected he was faking it—feel guilty for having such dark thoughts.
“I-I’ll take a look…”
Bai Tang leaned closer to Pei Boyi’s “injured area.” A dragon saliva incense scent mixed with the fragrance of pine nuts drifted into his nose, shaking his mind. His thoughts became hazy, his body gradually heated up, and some indescribable images surfaced in his mind.
Faced with such a handsome man, Bai Tang’s mind filled with flustered thoughts. He could neither bring himself to kiss him nor not kiss him.
“Tang Tang, I’m hurting…”
The man’s deep voice sounded from above.
Bai Tang steeled himself, shut his eyes, leaned forward, and charged ahead.
“Ow!”
The man’s rock-hard chest muscles knocked against Bai Tang’s teeth, causing a thin layer of tears to gather in his beautiful almond-shaped eyes.
“Your injuries must be serious. Your body’s gone stiff already. I’ll use something else to help you.”
At some point, Bai Tang had pulled a giant iron hammer out of his storage pouch.
“I once read in a book that when something is too hard, hitting it a few times will fix it.”
The enormous hammer glinted coldly in the air, sending chills down anyone’s spine.
Pei Boyi fell silent for two seconds. His gaze slowly shifted from the hammer back to Bai Tang’s face.
“I think… that really won’t be necessary.”