After Sheng Jun Chapter 14 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 14 Dense Nerves (part 1)
Splash! Several sprays of water erupted from the lake's surface.
Jiang Xingzhi was brought up to the surface with Zhong Ming embracing his waist, then carried all the way back to shore.
Only when both feet touched solid ground did Zhong Ming release him. Both men were soaked, water droplets falling to the ground and seeping into dark water marks.
"What happened? You didn't drown, did you?"
Fei Yin and the others gathered around. They were startled when they saw Jiang Xingzhi sink to the bottom of the lake with no movement for quite some time, only to be pulled back up.
Jiang Xingzhi turned his head away and coughed lightly, "No..."
Fei Yin sighed in relief, "That's good. I thought something had happened."
Zhong Ming stood to the side, his water-drenched face exuding a cold beauty. He used his spiritual power to dry his wet clothes, then turned to call Jiang Xingzhi, "Dry yourself first."
Jiang Xingzhi said, "I won't catch a cold."
"That's not the issue..." Zhong Ming suppressed his exasperation, feeling a slight headache coming on.
The person before him was still wet all over, black hair clinging to his shoulders and back, intertwined with the indigo blue beneath. With broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his flowing lines made him a type that both men and women would find attractive.
The three from Yuhua Sect were still chattering around him, especially the young man called "Lin Kuo," who glanced at him a few times before blushing and looking away.
Zhong Ming endured his headache and pulled Jiang Xingzhi away from the group, subtly shielding him, "Is being wet and cold comfortable for you?"
"It mainly makes me look moist and glossy."
"......"
Feeling the intense gaze from above, Jiang Xingzhi lowered his head and sent out a wave of spiritual power to dry himself.
Fei Yin, holding one of her senior brother's arms, had an "Oh, I understand~" expression dancing across her face.
Though his clothes were dry, the collar that had been cut by the Si Zao earlier still had an opening, partially exposed. Zhong Ming glanced at it, then pulled out a cloak from his storage pouch and draped it over him, wrapping him up tightly, "Wear this for now."
While putting it on, Jiang Xingzhi asked, "Is this the one that you gave me to cushion..."
"Jiang Xingzhi."
"I meant it feels oddly familiar."
"Hehe."
After rearranging his clothes properly, Jiang Xingzhi found a place to sit down.
The Youpo Lake before them had returned to tranquility. No one could imagine what had happened underwater just moments ago.
He had long been curious about why the Kongxuan Secret Realm would open in such a place and why it needed so many precious materials as "offerings." Now it seemed it might have something to do with that flower.
Heaven and earth have spirits, all things are nurtured through absorption and exhalation. Perhaps the day the flower blooms is when the secret realm opens.
"What are you pondering?" Zhong Ming sat down beside him.
Jiang Xingzhi strangely heard a kind of "don't act rashly" warning in his tone, "I plan to stay and observe for a few more days."
"I'll go down for you. You wait up here."
"But you don't understand this."
"......"
Wearing a vest had this kind of inconvenience. Zhong Ming compromised, "Then I'll go down with you."
(TL: vest=disguise)
Just as Jiang Xingzhi was about to speak, the memory of being in the lake bottom suddenly surfaced in his mind—the sensation of being tightly held seemed to linger on his body, causing his cool skin to heat up.
He cleared his throat, "No need, I'll go by myself."
He even moved a little to the side.
Zhong Ming looked at him, his gaze seeming to pierce through, "I held you just now. Did that make you uncomfortable?"
He stated "held you" so bluntly that even thick-skinned Jiang Xingzhi was choked for a moment, the slight awkwardness in his heart being washed away.
Jiang Xingzhi rubbed his chest and sincerely asked, "Are your nerves just really dense?"
It seemed there were people like this in the world, to whom all things appeared the same. Especially someone like Bai Mu who stood at the pinnacle of the Three Realms—perhaps he viewed everyone as if they were radishes and cabbages in a field.
The more Jiang Xingzhi thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed—
Maybe when he pulled him up from the bottom of the lake, he felt like he was holding a bunch of wildly flailing seaweed.
Zhong Ming raised an eyebrow, and the familiar cold smile appeared on his lips again, "...... dense nerves?"
Jiang Xingzhi nodded firmly. Zhong Ming saw him still wrapped in his own cloak, with a face that seemed to have cracked the truth, and couldn't help but let out a snort of laughter from his chest,
"Heh, I wonder who has the dense nerves."
"What?"
Zhong Ming skipped this headache-inducing question, "So, are you upset?"
"Why would I be?" Jiang Xingzhi said.
Zhong Ming glanced at the distance he had moved away. Jiang Xingzhi moved back a bit in an attempt to cover up, "I'm not ungrateful."
He had just been suddenly panicked earlier, having never encountered such a situation. After all, he was too powerful and had always been accustomed to being pushed to the front by others. This was the first time someone had so forcefully pulled him away from danger.
A light glance came from the side, "Is that so?"
"Of course." Jiang Xingzhi touched his chest, "I swear on my conscience."
It was the first time Zhong Ming had seen someone swear on something that didn't exist.
****
Once things were cleared up, Jiang Xingzhi's attitude toward Zhong Ming returned to normal.
Since they had decided to stay and observe for a few more days, he prepared to go down to the lake again the next day.
Zhong Ming followed behind him, "Don't be reckless this time, otherwise..."
What would happen otherwise was unspoken but understood. Jiang Xingzhi assured him, "I know."
Seeing the two of them standing by the lake, Fei Yin got up from the other side, "Are you going down again?!"
Jiang Xingzhi nodded to them in acknowledgment, and Lin Kuo hesitated before speaking, "Be careful."
"Don't worry, it's under control."
Fei Yin gave Lin Kuo a meaningful look and transmitted, "Second senior brother, don't tell me you have feelings for Immortal Lord Jiang..."
Lin Kuo, naturally shy, blushed immediately, "Don't talk nonsense, it's pure admiration!"
These two were obviously secretly transmitting messages. Zhong Ming's gaze swept over them. He didn't know what Fei Yin had said, but he saw the young man called "Lin Kuo" glance at Jiang Xingzhi a few times, his face reddening.
Heh. Zhong Ming gave a cold sidelong glance.
Seeing that Jiang Xingzhi was still talking with the three Yuhua Sect disciples, he spoke up, "Do you want to finish the farewell ceremony before going down?"
Jiang Xingzhi withdrew from the conversation, shyly saying, "How could I impose?"
With that, he activated his spiritual power to follow Zhong Ming, thinking to himself that this person was quite impatient.
The second dive into the lake heart was much more familiar than yesterday.
The two quickly approached the Si Zao cluster at the bottom of the lake. Large patches of Si Zao surged madly toward them, attempting to envelop them. Zhong Ming grabbed Jiang Xingzhi's wrist and tucked him behind his back, and then air currents sharper than frost blades cut off the approaching tendrils.
Jiang Xingzhi reminded him, "Be careful not to damage the roots."
The hand holding him paused subtly, and Jiang Xingzhi also paused.
"...I meant their roots."
"No need to specifically clarify."
The tendrils were cut down section by section, and the two got closer and closer to the flower bud at the bottom of the lake. Looking at the broad back in front of him, Jiang Xingzhi suddenly recalled a familiar scene—
He rarely had moments when others shielded him, and the few times it happened were with Xu Jian. When going to secret realms, obtaining the True Fire, seeking opportunities—even though they had been fighting fiercely just moments before, the next moment Xu Jian would walk in front of him.
But given their relationship, the latter was probably due to a competitive mentality, unwilling to fall behind him.
"What are you thinking about?" The person in front suddenly turned around.
Jiang Xingzhi immediately suppressed the upturned corner of his mouth, "Nothing, just thought of someone."
The Si Zao flying around them exploded into powder!
The hand holding his tightened, and the voice that fell was colder than the lake water, "You still have the mind to think about someone else at this moment?"
"......" Jiang Xingzhi said, "I won't think about it anymore. Focus, concentration."
Only then did Zhong Ming turn back, though the force gripping his wrist did not relax, revealing thick dissatisfaction.
Jiang Xingzhi, knowing he was in the wrong, reined in his thoughts. Indeed, anyone fighting on the front lines would be displeased if the person behind them was letting their mind wander.
The closer they got to the center of the lake, the more active the Si Zao became, and as expected, the water temperature became more bone-chilling.
Zhong Ming stopped and released his hand, "Wait here, I'll go closer to check the situation."
Jiang Xingzhi hesitated, "Do you know what to look for?"
"Tell me what to look for, and I'll remember it all."
Seeing that he still wanted to argue, a hand rose and pressed against the back of his neck. Surrounded by Si Zao that continually twisted, being cut and regenerating, the two created a pocket of stability amidst the chaos.
"If you act like last time again, the one who will go through the trouble of warming you up will still be me."
"......"
The night in the cave was still fresh in his memory. Jiang Xingzhi gave up, "Then be careful."
Only then did the hand on the back of his neck withdraw. Watching the man disappear into the bottom of the lake, Jiang Xingzhi unconsciously touched the spot that had been pressed—
There was no need to use the same gesture to awaken his memory.
The power of a Mahayana peak cultivator was indeed formidable. Zhong Ming approached the flower bud without much effort.
Jiang Xingzhi asked from a distance behind, "How does it feel? Any discomfort?"
Zhong Ming didn't turn back, "Cold, shivering with cold."
Jiang Xingzhi's neck retracted: to think that "shivering with cold" would come out of Bai Mu's mouth.
...Is it really that cold? Good thing he didn't go over.
The undercurrents at the bottom of the lake were turbulent, with potential hidden dangers, so the two didn't linger and quickly got to the point.
Jiang Xingzhi had originally worried about their communication, but surprisingly, the other was very cooperative, as if he naturally knew what calculations were needed.
Before long, Zhong Ming finished his investigation and swam back, "Time to go back." After saying this, he felt Jiang Xingzhi's hand, "So cold again."
Seeing his concern, Jiang Xingzhi said, "You get used to it."
Zhong Ming's brow furrowed slightly, "We'll think of a solution later."
Jiang Xingzhi gave him a strange look: ...A solution to getting used to it?