After Sheng Jun Chapter 57 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 57 Trouble Comes from the Mouth (part 1)
The thunderclaps sounded a few times before stopping.
When Jiang Xingzhi slowly climbed the mountain steps to reach the summit, Zhong Ming had already returned.
Apart from some scorched ash on the hem of his black robes, Zhong Ming showed no external injuries. His expression looked quite pleased, as if he had won a battle. Seeing Jiang Xingzhi, he suppressed his urge to claim credit and modestly opened his arms. "Deng Deng, I'm back."
Jiang Xingzhi: "......"
He had fought and killed Xu Jian for hundreds of years, thinking he understood Xu Jian quite well. But now he realized this man was truly incomprehensible to him...
What exactly was inside that handsome head of his?
Zhong Ming was still immersed in the joy of successfully defending their love, not noticing the subtle look in Jiang Xingzhi's eyes. Seeing the person standing motionless, he opened his arms a bit wider. "Don't want a hug?"
"Want a hug, want a hug." Jiang Xingzhi looked at his head with tolerance, ran forward a few steps and leaped up, landing with a thud in Zhong Ming's embrace.
Zhong Ming held him in a full embrace, his heart overflowing. He lowered his head and kissed Jiang Xingzhi's forehead, imitating a scene from folk storybooks he had occasionally read. "Deng Deng worked hard tending the flowers."
Jiang Xingzhi paused. What was this sense of déjà vu from returning from farming?
He played along with the performance, tilting his head to lean against Zhong Ming's shoulder. "How could it be as hard as what you did?"
The sky was nearly pierced through—those who didn't know might think Xu Jian was actually a spy sent by the Demon Realm to subvert the human world.
Zhong Ming didn't catch the deeper meaning in his words, just held him in sweet contentment.
The two embraced for a while in place, the clothes touched by heavenly lightning still carrying a faint burnt smell. Zhong Ming held Jiang Xingzhi away slightly. "I'll go back and change clothes first."
Jiang Xingzhi, hanging on him and not wanting to come down, thought for a moment upon hearing this. "Since you need to change clothes anyway, why don't we go soak in the hot spring together?"
The palm gripping his thigh suddenly tightened. Zhong Ming's gentle expression turned deep and profound as he looked down at him. "Bathing together... are you sure?"
Jiang Xingzhi felt restless with desire. "It's not like we haven't bathed together before."
Zhong Ming lowered his head to bite his lip. "Aren't you afraid I'll get handsy with you?"
The arm holding him was tight and hot. As Zhong Ming kissed and bit, his entire upper body leaned down. Jiang Xingzhi, arms around his neck, had his waist bent back at an angle, his high ponytail swaying behind him.
Jiang Xingzhi's face reddened, but he still brazenly answered directly. "That should be saved for when we form our contract. Don't you want it to have a sense of ceremony?"
Zhong Ming: "......"
His throat moved: He wanted it, dreamed of wanting it. But...
A vague sound rolled from his lips and tongue. "I'm just afraid you won't want it when the time comes."
"What?" Jiang Xingzhi didn't hear clearly. "What about when the time comes?"
"Nothing." Zhong Ming kissed him again, turned around holding him and walked toward the hot spring. "Come on, let's go soak."
…..
The small hot spring in the forest—Zhong Ming had been there two or three times before.
But this was his first time getting in the water to soak with Jiang Xingzhi.
During this season, the tall trees around had almost completely shed their leaves, and fiery red fallen leaves had laid a thick carpet on the ground. Just past the seventh hour of the evening, the sky hadn't completely darkened yet, and a ray of slanting sunset light filtered through the sparse forest onto the water's surface.
For ease of movement, Zhong Ming wore only a tight-fitting black garment. With one motion, he stripped and went into the water bare-chested.
Splash.
Jiang Xingzhi watched the raised muscles of his back adorned with a few water droplets, the muscle lines distinct and commanding presence, yet not overly prominent—simply every inch grown exactly to his aesthetic preferences. While his small face flushed yellow as he stared at Zhong Ming, he rustled as he removed his outer robe.
Just as he was about to remove his inner garment as well, the man standing in the water looked over. Zhong Ming's eyes darkened as he waved his hand to pull him into the pool water—Splash! Water scattered everywhere.
Jiang Xingzhi was pulled by the arm into Zhong Ming's embrace. The latter looked down at him with a low voice. "Keep your clothes on properly."
"Why, you don't have any..." Jiang Xingzhi wiped the water droplets from his face, placing both hands on those solid shoulders, his gaze wandering as he muttered complaints.
One arm tightened around his waist, pulling him closer.
Zhong Ming leaned back against the pool's edge, and Jiang Xingzhi naturally straddled over. The man in front of him trembled with a breath, and Jiang Xingzhi glanced down with sudden awareness.
......!
His heart jumped: Xu Jian was so, so well-endowed.
"Do you understand now?" the low, husky voice asked him. "Don't keep teasing me. I'm not as patient as you think."
Jiang Xingzhi's throat made a "gulp" sound. He pressed his lips together. "Mm."
It was over—he was truly looking forward to it more and more, yet also afraid. But he still held a sense of conviction in his heart, to save it for their contract day. So Jiang Xingzhi stopped being coquettish and honestly lay against Zhong Ming to soak.
As he lay there, his mind was still replaying Zhong Ming's earlier state: he just loved seeing Xu Jian's appearance of being unable to control himself because of him. Just this much already made his heart race—if it came to their forming a contract...
Jiang Xingzhi imagined it and felt his whole person boiling: Hiss, he dared not think deeply!
His heart was impatient: Hurry up and form a contract, this and that!
"Ah Zuo, we..." Jiang Xingzhi had just started to speak when he suddenly remembered this person was still wearing a disguise, so returning together couldn't be mentioned directly. He changed his words instead, secretly urging progress. "Let's quickly resolve the Demon Realm matter."
Zhong Ming was enjoying the warm jade in his arms when suddenly a progress bar was lit up, instantly alert. "Why? Is someone pressuring you again?"
His "someone again" was quite pointed, and as he spoke, his eyes seemed about to ignite again.
Jiang Xingzhi raised his hand to close his eyelids, manually extinguishing the fire. "No one. Don't I want to form a contract with you quickly? Don't you want to, Ah Zuo?"
Zhong Ming: "......"
He pulled away Jiang Xingzhi's hand and opened his eyes gently. "Be good, don't make such inauspicious gestures."
Jiang Xingzhi immediately looked apologetic, then raised his eyes to ask him. "So do you want to or not?"
The person lying in front of him had eyebrows and eyes exactly as he liked them, with eyes full of expectation. Zhong Ming's anxious heart had no resistance under Jiang Xingzhi's gaze. He hesitated for a long while before slowly nodding. "Of course I want to."
Jiang Xingzhi rewarded him with a kiss on the mouth!
A hand pressed against the back of Jiang Xingzhi's neck, stroking twice. Zhong Ming suddenly leaned down to bury his face in his shoulder. "Deng Deng, will you always like me?"
Jiang Xingzhi didn't understand what this was about. "Of course I will."
Zhong Ming tightened his grip. "No matter what I'm like, you'll still like me?"
"Yes, yes." Jiang Xingzhi cupped his head, learning from how he petted him by raising his hand to ruffle his hair, thinking: whether you're Xu Jian, Bai Mu, or Ah Zuo, don't I like you all the same?
His smooth hair was ruffled into a mess, but Zhong Ming didn't mind at all. As if slightly reassured, he turned his head to place a kiss in his shoulder hollow. "Good."
****
Jiang Xingzhi lay against Zhong Ming, soaking comfortably. In the reassuring environment, he directly entered dreamland.
Zhong Ming looked down at the person sleeping peacefully with closed eyes, then held him as he rose from the water. The whispered sweet words seemed to still linger in his ears. He couldn't bear to let go, directly carrying him back to his own room to sleep in each other's arms.
This night was destined to be sweet yet torturous.
But this time Zhong Ming didn't chant the heart-clearing mantra again. Whenever passionate thoughts surged, he would silently recite "identity exposure." Like a basin of cold water poured over his head! All romantic thoughts vanished—the effect was excellent.
…..
The next day, Jiang Xingzhi woke up in Zhong Ming's embrace.
A magnified handsome face was right in front of his eyes. Jiang Xingzhi was startled at first, then couldn't help but sigh: this appearance was truly excellent, actually managing to hold up even at this death angle purely through good looks.
Seeing him awake, Zhong Ming lowered his head to kiss him.
Jiang Xingzhi let himself be kissed and pecked at, still thinking about hurrying to catch Yu Wengong. When the pecking was about done, he reached out to pat Zhong Ming's shoulder. "I want to eat something."
Need to eat well to work well.
Zhong Ming propped himself up to change clothes. "I'll go out and buy some for you."
Jiang Xingzhi curled up in the blankets, enjoying the thoughtful care of his future dao companion, even shamelessly ordering several dishes—wanting this and that.
Zhong Ming just smiled. "Got it."
After changing clothes, he turned and left. Jiang Xingzhi lazily waited on his bed to be fed. As he lay there, he suddenly felt something move in his chest: ......?
Jiang Xingzhi blinked, then felt his chest move again and again.
This sense of déjà vu was like someone carefully poking at him.
What was this about now?
Jiang Xingzhi suddenly remembered yesterday evening's earth-shaking thunder: could it be the Heavenly Dao coming to urge him to speed up progress? But was this sneaky, tentative attitude serious?
As if to confirm his thoughts, his chest was poked again, like exchanging secret signals.
Jiang Xingzhi: "......"
It was hard to imagine just what Xu Jian had done to the Heavenly Dao.
The instigator who had gone out to buy breakfast for him soon returned with the porridge, cakes, and pastries he wanted to eat. Just as Jiang Xingzhi was about to speak and share his recent experience, his chest was immediately poked!
His opened mouth slowly closed again.
Got it, got it... he wouldn't say anything.
"What are you thinking about?" Zhong Ming set the breakfast on the table and called Jiang Xingzhi over. Seeing that he hadn't immediately focused on the breakfast, he was suspicious. "Not feeling well?"
Jiang Xingzhi marveled at his rare perceptiveness, composed himself and got off the bed, casting him a sweet glance. "I was thinking this feels like married life."
......!
Zhong Ming took a deep breath, his thoughts immediately occupied by grand blueprints.