After Sheng Jun Chapter 60 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 60 Who's Pressing Whom (part 2)
Jiang Xingzhi was both shy and excited, their gazes meeting clearly enough to see the emotions in each other's eyes. He hooked his arms around Zhong Ming's neck, feeling that the other was particularly excited today, and thought to ask, "Ah Zuo, do you want to form a contract with me that badly?"
"Yes." Zhong Ming looked down, his throat bobbing.
At the same time, one of his hands unconsciously touched his waist again.
Jiang Xingzhi had been getting emotional, but his gaze caught the small gesture: ...If he remembered correctly, the protective artifacts Xu Jian had bought today were stored right there.
His thoughts paused.
Wait, could it be that he bought them because he was afraid of getting beaten up on their contract day?
Zhong Ming hadn't noticed his distraction and leaned down to kiss him again. As Jiang Xingzhi exchanged passionate kisses with him, he pondered inwardly: If he hadn't already seen through Xu Jian's mask, and such a big surprise came on their contract day... he might really have skinned Xu Jian alive.
In a certain sense, Xu Jian did understand him.
"Then let's form the contract." Jiang Xingzhi pushed Zhong Ming's face away slightly. The body pressed close to his transmitted an urgent, heavy heartbeat—whether from excitement or fear, or a mixture of both.
Zhong Ming softly hummed in agreement, "Alright."
Jiang Xingzhi sat up, saying half-seriously and half-jokingly, "Then I'll go ask the Master about auspicious dates right now. Do you want to come with me?"
Zhong Ming helped arrange his disheveled clothes, "No, I'll stay here and await the good news."
He was afraid that hearing something might cause him to lose control of his expressions and anger his Deng Deng again.
****
When Jiang Xingzhi went to Wujie's courtyard to find him, the latter wasn't there.
Wujie should have returned by this time. He swept the area with divine consciousness and soon found Wujie's figure in the forest behind the courtyard.
Jiang Xingzhi passed through the dense forest and saw Wujie in front of a flower garden, holding a water ladle and watering the spiritual plants and herbs he had planted that day.
As the wooden ladle moved, it scattered a spray of clear water droplets. The spiritual herbs in the garden were growing wonderfully, faintly showing the vigorous vitality that flowers and plants would have a thousand years later when spiritual energy was abundant.
"Master tends them so well," Jiang Xingzhi praised as he approached.
Wujie set down the ladle and turned with a smile, "Not at all—it's because this area has good feng shui. Moreover, this poor daoist only tends a flower garden, incomparable to how hard the Sect Master works managing affairs between the two realms."
Speaking of this, Jiang Xingzhi remembered his main purpose for seeking out Wujie—the auspicious date was just something he'd said to tease Xu Jian. If they were really going to form a contract, they'd have to wait until after returning.
"Master, I've already pacified the conflict between the two realms. When can I return?"
Wujie closed his eyes and came forward. In the dim light, the golden powder beneath his eyelids still sparkled brilliantly, "A good beginning deserves a good ending."
Jiang Xingzhi pondered this, "What do you mean?"
"What the Sect Master began should naturally be ended by the Sect Master."
What had he begun? The Divine Lamp, Sword Sect, Kunlun...? He hadn't been in this world long, but thinking about it now, he had somehow become intertwined with this world, forming countless connections.
Jiang Xingzhi speculated, "Do I need to go tie up loose ends one by one?"
Wujie only smiled without speaking, his fingers lightly tapping on the long handle of the ladle he held—tap tap. Jiang Xingzhi inexplicably read a sense of agreement in his smile, and felt that the rhythm tapped on the handle was somewhat familiar.
He glanced at Wujie's hand but was quickly interrupted by a voice, "If the Sect Master has nothing else, come help water the flowers."
"No, I won't disturb Master's leisurely pursuits." Jiang Xingzhi withdrew his gaze and turned to slip away, "After I leave, I entrust this flower garden to Master!"
The slender figure vanished from the forest in an instant.
"Good." Wujie smiled and turned back, raising his hand to continue sprinkling water.
….
Returning to the mountain top, Zhong Ming was waiting in front of the courtyard.
Seeing Jiang Xingzhi, he immediately came forward, "What did Master say?"
Jiang Xingzhi saw his tense expression, unsure whether this person was anticipating or fearing, so he raised his hands to cup Zhong Ming's face, saying with feigned shyness, "He said within ten days would be auspicious for marriage, and he'll help us calculate the specific day. Anyway, it'll be soon. Are you happy, Ah Zuo?"
Zhong Ming's pupils dilated: So soon!?
"Mm." He exhaled imperceptibly and raised his hand to grip Jiang Xingzhi's wrist, "Happiness comes so sudden...ly."
Jiang Xingzhi glanced at him, pretending not to hear that he'd almost blurted out "suddenly," and said instead, "I'm going out tomorrow."
Zhong Ming asked, "To do what?"
"Naturally to send out invitations." Jiang Xingzhi said, "Though the date isn't set yet, I should notify everyone in advance so they can prepare, right?"
Gulp—Zhong Ming's throat moved, "Right."
He imagined the scene of sending invitations and couldn't help saying, "Then I'll go with you." What a great opportunity to announce to the world that Jiang Xingzhi was his! Not to be missed!
"I'll go myself." Jiang Xingzhi held down his restless companion. He wasn't really going to send invitations—he was going to tie up loose ends, "You just stay home and wait for me to return."
Zhong Ming asked, "What should I do staying at home?"
Jiang Xingzhi paused, then pulled out the booklet from his waist and tossed it to him with a rustle, "You can study this well at home!"
Without giving him a chance to object, he turned and ran into the room, slamming the door shut with a "bang."
"......"
Outside the courtyard, Zhong Ming looked down at the booklet in his hands. As the pages opened, a scene of sensuality appeared. His ears instantly turned red, and his heart pounded in his chest—thump.
****
The next day, Jiang Xingzhi left early to visit the various sects to tie up the karmic connections he had formed.
Afraid that a certain thick-skinned man would insist on following, he had even cautiously used divine consciousness screening. However, he seemed to have underestimated the attraction of the little booklet—Zhong Ming hadn't followed at all.
The courtyard on the mountain top was quiet and peaceful, Zhong Ming's door tightly shut.
Inside the room, Zhong Ming sat on the bed. His sword-holding hand, with its distinct knuckles, was turning the pages of the booklet resting on his knee.
From an observer's perspective, the man's stern profile seemed completely calm, his pressed lips revealing no emotion. But the reddened earlobes visible beneath his hair and his slightly trembling fingertips silently indicated that Zhong Ming wasn't as calm as he appeared on the surface.
Every word and sentence in the book seemed to tease his nerves.
The delicately depicted scenes automatically transformed in his mind into Jiang Xingzhi's flushed cheeks and slender form.
Zhong Ming steadied his breathing and continued reading word by word. After all... if he wanted to form a contract with someone, he indeed needed to understand these things.
Moreover, that day Jiang Xingzhi had hung on him, saying he was willing to let him do whatever he wanted... Just thinking about it made Zhong Ming's heart flutter, yet he was afraid that if he didn't perform well, it would make Deng Deng unhappy.
He already had the major calamity of his identity being exposed ahead—if he couldn't even satisfy Deng Deng's expectations for "this and that"... Thunk—Zhong Ming's heart sank: Would he be immediately rejected at the altar?
No, rejection was absolutely unacceptable!
Zhong Ming snapped to attention and quickly focused on continuing to read through the book.
......
Having read through most of the book, Zhong Ming finally raised his head.
He exhaled a long breath of turbid air, suppressed the restless emotions within his body, and stood up, preparing to go out for a walk to clear his mind.
With a "creak," the door opened.
Bright sunlight and fresh, cold air rushed in, dispelling the complex thoughts swirling in Zhong Ming's mind. He simply grabbed a mask and walked down the mountain steps.
Consider it a mental break.
The training ground below the mountain was now a place for Kunlun's people to exchange cultivation methods and spar with each other.
Everyone in the field was engaged in lively combat, the atmosphere bustling and full of energy. Zhong Ming stood on the mountain steps outside the training ground. He had deliberately concealed his aura, so no one in the field noticed his arrival.
Only Zhu Xu, who happened to be leaving the training ground, looked up and saw the masked Zhong Ming standing there, immediately startled and hurrying over, "Bai...Lord Xuan?"
Zhong Ming acknowledged him and casually asked about everyone's recent situation.
Zhu Xu reported everything. When he spoke, he wasn't holding his notebook. After listening, Zhong Ming rarely asked an additional question, "Where's your notebook?"
"Oh... that!" Zhuxu scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, his face showing reverence, "That's specifically for recording the Sect...Lord Xue’s wise sayings."
Deng Deng's wise sayings? Having nothing better to do at the moment, Zhong Ming had him take out the notebook, "Let me see it."
Zhuxu dared not refuse, "Yes, Lord Xuan."
With the little notebook in hand, Zhong Ming casually flipped through it, seeing that everything was recorded in meticulous detail, even what Jiang Xingzhi said he wanted to eat for dinner. The corner of his mouth twitched: There was really no need to record everything.
As the pages rustled, Zhong Ming also saw recorded there the time on Prayer Day when he had shown off his gift, and how Jiang Xingzhi had privately defended him by saying "he did give one."
His heart warmed slightly, and the corner of his mouth behind the mask couldn't help but curve up: His Deng Deng was so cute even in places he didn't know about.
He slowly flipped from back to front, tenderly absorbed in reading, when his gaze suddenly fixed: "Time will tell, between Protector Bai and me... who presses whom is still uncertain."
Zhong Ming: ???
The little notebook snapped shut with a "pop." Zhong Ming's gaze grew profound: No wonder he was eager to form a contract with him... His Deng Deng harbored such rebellious thoughts.