After Sheng Jun Chapter 74 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 74 Preparing the Surprise (part 1)
That ball of shadow was steadily caught by a large hand grabbing its collar just before it was about to crash into Jiang Xingzhi's embrace.
Jiang Langhao came to an abrupt stop in mid-air, "Awoo~ Who is it this time!"
It raised its head and looked up along that arm toward Zhong Ming's face. Through the hazy tearlight, those familiar eyes carried a hint of threat, making its whole body shiver and even its tears retreat, "...grand-disciple?"
Zhong Ming let out a cold laugh, "Hehe."
Jiang Langhao struggled to nestle into Jiang Xingzhi's embrace, "Ancestor, why does the grand-disciple also look different? Has he also taken human form?"
Jiang Xingzhi, "......"
Thump, Jiang Langhao was thrown to the ground. Zhong Ming turned his head and said to Jiang Xingzhi, "I see that even after a thousand years it hasn't made much progress." Still so uncultured.
"Hmph!" Jiang Langhao was so angry its hair stood on end. It looked around and saw all the sect members with dazed expressions, knowing that its carefully cultivated aloof persona of a thousand years had crumbled at this moment. It waved its hand to dismiss everyone, "Go go go, all get out!"
The sect members then retreated from the great hall with a "whoosh."
With no one else around, Jiang Langhao dropped its ancestral burden and started clinging to Jiang Xingzhi again, "Ancestor~ I missed you so much! Why did you take so long to come see me?"
Jiang Xingzhi raised his hand and swept away a trace of spiritual power, smoothing down its frazzled fur, saying seriously, "If this lord came to see you often, how could you calm your heart for cultivation? This is all to temper your mental fortitude."
Jiang Langhao had a sudden realization and was instantly moved, "Ancestor is truly well-intentioned! I'm so touched~"
Zhong Ming looked at it with eyes tinged with faint innocence.
"Then why has Ancestor come now?"
"Naturally to check the results."
One person and one brush started chatting, and the hall was filled with a faint warmth.
Zhong Ming stood to the side with arms crossed, watching Jiang Xingzhi coax Jiang Langhao into blooming happiness with just a few words, beginning to ponder how much of the sweet talk this person usually said to him was genuine...
After chatting for a while, Jiang Xingzhi cleared his throat, "By the way, Langhao, this lord is getting bonded, you should come participate too."
"Getting bonded!" A sharp scream echoed through the hall. Jiang Langhao's eyes widened as it looked at Jiang Xingzhi, then turned toward Zhong Ming, "It can't be with this bad man!"
Zhong Ming narrowed his eyes at it, "What did you say?"
"Eep..." Jiang Langhao immediately cowered and sidled closer to Jiang Xingzhi.
Jiang Xingzhi patted its head, "That's right, we're getting bonded. Do you want to come participate?"
"Ancestor's bonding ceremony, of course I want to come. Hmph, even though it's with this man..." Jiang Langhao grumbled as it finished speaking, then started worrying, "When is it? If it's rushed, I won't have time to prepare a grand gift for Ancestor."
Jiang Xingzhi was about to be polite for a moment when he heard Zhong Ming speak, "No problem."
Two gazes fell on the latter simultaneously. Zhong Ming naturally named what he wanted, "Just take out your thousand-year spirit hair as a congratulatory gift."
What was missing for the engagement token was exactly this, perfect.
Jiang Xingzhi, "......" He knew it.
"Is that okay, Ancestor?" Jiang Langhao asked uncertainly, "Won't it be too simple?"
Jiang Xingzhi said lovingly, "Of course it's fine."
"Then wait for me~" Jiang Langhao said as it transformed with a shake, bang! A huge brush appeared before their eyes. The soft, dense wolf hair gleamed with a smooth luster, it shook itself vigorously, and a large handful of thousand-year spirit hair fell from its brush head, "The best for Ancestor~"
Zhong Ming hurriedly and unceremoniously collected it.
Jiang Xingzhi rubbed its fur in praise, "Our Langhao is truly filial."
Jiang Langhao shyly shook its fur.
Having obtained the thousand-year spirit hair in an unexpected way, Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming prepared to return to Kunlun. Before they could step out of the hall door, Jiang Langhao pounced and clung to them, grabbing Jiang Xingzhi's sleeve.
"I finally got to see Ancestor, don't separate so quickly~"
Jiang Xingzhi comforted it, "We can meet again during the bonding ceremony."
Jiang Langhao blinked, "Oh! Then I'll just follow Ancestor back together. Since the bonding ceremony is only a few days away anyway, I'll stay in the ancestral shrine!"
...They already said there's no ancestral shrine. Seeing how clingy it was, Jiang Xingzhi agreed, "Then let's go."
A cool gaze swept over Jiang Langhao. Zhong Ming moved closer to Jiang Xingzhi and transmitted his voice, "Bringing it back is fine, but don't let it go up to the peak and disturb our world of two."
Caught between one large and one small living treasure, Jiang Xingzhi struggled to keep the peace, "Okay..."
They originally came to the Southern Border to seek thousand-year spirit hair, but unexpectedly on this trip, they directly brought back the "old ancestor" itself.
Jiang Xingzhi glanced at Jiang Langhao, who had taken the form of a child and was bouncing around energetically beside him, and sighed: What kind of mess is this?
Bringing Langhao back to Kunlun.
The two people and one brush landed outside Yaochi Pool halfway up the mountain. Jiang Xingzhi was about to call Zhu Yan to arrange lodging for Langhao when he heard a voice from the mountain steps behind them, "Holy shit, Jiang Xingzhi! Who's this kid!"
Turning around, they saw Lord Huan Qi running down from the mountain steps, stopping in front of them in a moment.
"Why are you here?" Jiang Xingzhi asked.
"Kunlun has finally opened its restrictions after hundreds of years, of course I came to pay respects to my master." Lord Huan Qi tucked his sleeves and circled around Jiang Langhao, "Never mind that... who's this kid, where did he come from?"
Jiang Xingzhi introduced, "It's called Jiang Langhao."
Surname Jiang! Lord Huan Qi was shocked, his nostrils flaring wider. His incredulous gaze went back and forth between Jiang Xingzhi and Zhong Ming twice, "It's only been a few days, and you actually already have a child together, and it's grown this big!"
Jiang Xingzhi, "......"
Zhong Ming, "......"
Lord Huan Qi ignored their speechless expressions and enthusiastically opened his arms toward Jiang Langhao, "Come, uncle will hold you."
Jiang Langhao looked at him like he was looking at a pervert.
Lord Huan Qi didn't mind at all, turning to praise Zhong Ming, "Xu Jian Sheng Jun truly works hard enough!"
Jiang Xingzhi couldn't stand it anymore, waving to call Zhu Yan to take Jiang Langhao to lodging to avoid leaving childhood trauma on the child. Then he slapped away Lord Huan Qi's outstretched arms, unable to understand, "How could Master have taken a fancy to a disciple like you?"
"Heh, naturally it's having a discerning eye."
"The kind that runs in the mud?"
After a few rounds of nutritionless banter, the skin on the back of Jiang Xingzhi's neck was suddenly grabbed. He turned his head to see Zhong Ming looking at him somewhat helplessly, "Having fun?"
Jiang Xingzhi immediately went to embrace his waist, "Did I neglect you?"
"No." Zhong Ming said, "You can be casual in front of me."
Lord Huan Qi showed an expression of not being able to stand it, and was about to tactfully slip away when he heard Zhong Ming say to Jiang Xingzhi, "You play well with your friend, I'll take the thousand-year spirit hair to Qu Tan."
Oh~ for his engagement token. Jiang Xingzhi was delighted, "Then go quickly."
"Mm." The tall figure disappeared from Kunlun in an instant.
Outside Yaochi Pool, only Jiang Xingzhi and Lord Huan Qi remained facing each other. Lord Huan Qi watched with amazement, "The transformation in your relationship is truly both abrupt and natural. After being adversaries for hundreds of years, you can immediately live like honey in oil within a few days, truly worthy of being a pair!"
The wonder of rebirth was complex to explain, so Jiang Xingzhi didn't elaborate much, humming twice to change the subject, "Come, let's go to Xuantian Sword Sect to find Lin Xiaohe."
"Find him for what?"
"For fun, and there's something to do."
These past few days, first it was Wu Jie, Zhu Yan, Zhu Xu, then Su You and Jiang Langhao... old friends from the past have been coming one after another, maybe You Suqing and the others could also be found.
Jiang Xingzhi harbored some anticipation.
Lord Huan Qi didn't think so much, readily agreeing, "Let's go!"