Chapter 36 I Like You

Chu Jianshan was truly panicked: "I...I really don't understand you. What do you want me to compensate you for?"

Cheng Yuan was so angry he almost laughed. He lowered his head, closed his eyes tightly, and breathed heavily, wishing he could make him understand right there on the spot.

But Chu Jianshan saw these reactions as nothing more than indignation. He didn't understand why two grown men would react so strongly to a kiss over an incense burner.

After agonizing for a long time, he came up with what he considered a brilliant idea: "At worst, I'll just let you kiss me back..."

Cheng Yuan suddenly raised his eyes, wanting to know which part of his brain had come up with this brilliant idea.

Cheng Yuan said, "If you really want me to kiss you, I hope it's voluntary, not something you're doing to repay me."

Chu Jianshan blinked, clearly not understanding. He had voluntarily offered to return it to him, so what was the point of all this rambling?

He was getting a little angry, so he gave him a choice: "Do you want it or not?"

Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Yes, why not?"

Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes, as if preparing himself mentally. After some time, he suddenly looked up, startling Cheng Yuan.

"bring it on!"

He closed his eyes tightly, put his mouth to Cheng Yuan, and had the expression of a warrior going to his death. If you looked closely, he was even trembling slightly.

Although Chu Jianshan's behavior was unpredictable, Cheng Yuan had to admit that he was in a much better mood now.

Seeing Chu Jianshan's current state, Cheng Yuan felt a strange sense of mischief. He just waited there, refusing to bend down and kiss him.

Chu Jianshan waited for a long time, but Cheng Yuan still didn't make any move. He thought that he wasn't close enough, so he took two more steps forward. However, for every two steps he took, Cheng Yuan took two steps back.

Finally, Chu Jianshan lost his patience, opened his eyes, and asked angrily, "Why aren't you... Ugh!!"

Chu Jianshan's words were abruptly cut off as Cheng Yuan kissed him.

It wasn't just a kiss; he covered his neck and the back of his head with one large hand, and with the other hand around his waist, lifted him up and leaned him against a thick tree trunk, then pressed his entire body against it.

Cheng Yuan admitted that he had a little selfish motive; he wanted Chu Jianshan to see him kiss him and to see the desire in his eyes.

Chu Jianshan was still in a daze until Cheng Yuan pried open his jaw and tried to stick his tongue in, at which point he finally realized what was happening.

He tried with all his might to push Cheng Yuan away, but Cheng Yuan wouldn't budge. It was as if Cheng Yuan knew his every move and would always push him back down just when he tried to raise his hand. Helpless, he bit Cheng Yuan's lip, and Cheng Yuan let go of him only when he felt the pain.

"Hiss... Still biting?"

Cheng Yuan wiped the bloodstains with his thumb. Fortunately, Chu Jianshan had some conscience and didn't bite too deep.

Chu Jianshan, panting heavily, said guiltily, "Who told you to kiss me so...so..."

That's so cruel! He didn't kiss me like that last night at all! I already told him I'd given it back, but he's still going even further! He's utterly shameless!

After a long silence, Chu Jianshan slowly spoke, "I've already returned it to you. We're even now, aren't we?"

Cheng Yuan denied it, saying, "Who said you returned it to me?"

Chu Jianshan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. In broad daylight, under the clear blue sky, how dare this person renege on their debt?!

Chu Jianshan hurriedly said, "You clearly promised me!"

Cheng Yuan chuckled: "I only said I wanted to kiss you. When did you say that this kiss was a return gift to me?"

Chu Jianshan gritted his teeth: "What does that matter!"

"I guess I like you."

Chu Jianshan was stunned. He wondered if he had misheard and asked again, "What...what do you mean?"

Cheng Yuan repeated, "Chu Jianshan, I said I like you."

After he finished speaking, he patiently waited for Chu Jianshan's response.

Chu Jianshan was clearly unable to process all this information at once. He stood frozen in place, as if frozen, until Cheng Yuan gently poked him. Only then did he thaw instantly and turn to run away.

"I...I'm a little hungry. I just realized I haven't eaten yet. Yes...I haven't eaten."

Cheng Yuan knew perfectly well that he was going to run away, so he grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. He realized that dealing with someone like Chu Jianshan was pointless; being soft-hearted and flattering was the only way to deal with him. He had to be tough and use direct language.

"If you don't give me an answer today, you're not allowed to go anywhere."

"I..." Chu Jianshan didn't know what to say, and after a long silence, he finally spoke: "I think you should be more cautious."

Cheng Yuan said seriously, "I am being very cautious."

Chu Jianshan grew anxious: "But you haven't even gotten to know me. What if I'm a bad person? What if I'm not doing this for good? What if I..."

What if I were your master?!

What kind of nonsense is this?! The apprentice wants to be his master's wife?!

Chu Jianshan continued, "I know I might be quite charming, but you can't just mistake this kind of goodwill for love so hastily. You don't even know who I am!"

Cheng Yuan said firmly, "You're the person I like, and that's enough."

Chu Jianshan's rambling was interrupted by his words. He knew that there was no possibility between him and Cheng Yuan, but why did his eyes still feel hot?

He has been many people in the past. He was the number one in the world, the Southern Immortal Venerable of Changjin Mountain, the junior disciple of the former sect leader, and Xie Yin's junior brother. But Cheng Yuan only said that he was the person he liked. Is that enough? Is that really enough? When he finds out his true identity, will he still like him?

Chu Jianshan's throat tightened, and he choked out, "Let's all calm down first."

He turned and left without hesitation. Cheng Yuan didn't chase after him, but simply asked softly, "Are you leaving again?"

Chu Jianshan slowly stopped and listened to him finish speaking.

"What's the reason this time? Is there something important that needs your attention again?"

He slowly walked towards Chu Jianshan and stopped behind him: "You always do this. I'm never part of your plans, and it seems like your life never needs me. But Chu Jianshan, I just want an answer."

Chu Jianshan remained silent, so Cheng Yuan gently took his wrist and pleaded again, "Can't you even give me one answer? Chu Jianshan, I'll only ask you this once: have you ever, even just a little bit, liked me?"

Chu Jianshan had his back to him, so Cheng Yuan couldn't see the expression on his face, but his shoulders were trembling slightly. Cheng Yuan didn't know why this question was so difficult for Chu Jianshan to answer, but he still heard Chu Jianshan say the answer he least wanted to hear.

"No."

Cheng Yuan let go of his hand, but his tone remained defiant: "I don't believe it."

Chu Jianshan turned around angrily: "Where did you learn all these shameless behaviors from?"

"I learned it from you."

Chu Jianshan was speechless for a moment, only saying, "Stop acting like a child, okay? You..."

"Hey, wait a minute! Let's talk this out, let's talk this out."

Bai Qianfan rushed over to the rescue and pulled Chu Jianshan back down. It wasn't that he was happy to help, but he was afraid that if the two of them completely broke up, it would be difficult for him to be caught in the middle.

Chu Jianshan glared at Bai Qianfan, growing angrier the more he thought about it. In the end, all of this was caused by that incense burner, and Bai Qianfan was the real culprit!

Bai Qianfan understood Chu Jianshan's meaning and looked innocent: "How can you blame me? I only gave you the incense burner out of kindness!"

Chu Jianshan said, "Thank you so much! Why didn't you come earlier?"

"Just now?"

Bai Qianfan gave a bitter laugh, thinking to himself, "Which was 'just now' when Cheng Yuan pinned you against the tree and kissed you? If he dared to come over then, Cheng Yuan would have torn him to pieces."

"Alright, alright," Bai Qianfan interjected jokingly, "Can we just let this go?"

He patted Cheng Yuan on the shoulder: "As for you, just pretend that Chu Jianshan is still considering it."

He patted Chu Jianshan on the shoulder and said, "Just pretend he never mentioned this. Wouldn't it be great if everyone could just stay the same as before and everyone was happy?"

Chu Jianshan gave him a fake smile: "You were indeed eavesdropping."

Bai Qianfan's smile vanished instantly: "Talking to you is exhausting, is that the point?! The point is, the three of us can't fall apart like this! We haven't found the thing yet."

"Promise me, even if you have to argue, wait until you find the item, okay?"

Bai Qianfan looked at the two of them expectantly, but neither of them was willing to speak first.

He then pleaded, "Just give me some face!"

Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan turned around and walked forward in tacit agreement, neither of them glancing at Bai Qianfan. Clearly, his face was worthless.

The two sulking people, along with Bai Qianfan, walked for a long time before finally finding a place that resembled a cave entrance. The entrance extended downwards, and after walking through a narrow path, the view suddenly opened up.

Before him was a dark cave, where sunlight couldn't penetrate and only a few faint candlelight flickered. Chu Jianshan reached out and touched the walls; they were slippery, indicating that water had been seeping in for a long time. This meant that this place was likely the edge of the barrier.

There were two entrances in front of them, but both were covered by a barrier, and they could not enter either one.

Bai Qianfan frowned: "What does this mean? They've given us an entrance but won't let us in? They might as well seal it off completely to save spiritual energy."

Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan were both interested in the barrier and wanted to get closer to take a look, but they accidentally bumped into each other.

Cheng Yuan stepped back first, giving this door to Chu Jianshan, and went to the other door himself.

Chu Jianshan reached out and touched it. The barrier did not produce a strong repulsive reaction, so it seemed to be just an ordinary isolation barrier.

Logically speaking, the most common method for breaking such a barrier is to use spiritual power to directly blast it open. However, the spiritual power of this barrier is so profound that Bai Qianfan and Cheng Yuan alone are probably not enough.

Just as he was thinking about whether there was any other way, he suddenly realized that the barrier seemed to have opened by itself. He put his hand in and confirmed that it was open.

He quickly turned to look at Cheng Yuan, who nodded back.

Cheng Yuan's barrier is also open, so what's the point of using so much spiritual energy to set up this barrier?

Bai Qianfan also became interested and leaned over to say, "Who cares? Since it's open, let's just go in."

As he was about to go in, he was repelled by powerful spiritual energy as soon as he touched the barrier. He took a few steps back. Chu Jianshan tried to reach out and pull him back, but as soon as he let go, the barrier on Cheng Yuan's side closed instantly.

Chu Jianshan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Wait, I think I understand!"

Chu Jianshan looked at Bai Qianfan: "This entrance requires two people to enter from both sides at the same time."

In other words, only two people can enter here; a third person is absolutely not allowed to enter unless they can find another teammate.

Bai Qianfan, who was excluded at this moment, exclaimed: "Wow, what a strong targeting!"

Chu Jianshan lowered his eyes: "I'll stay outside. Anyway, I don't have any spiritual power, so going in would be a waste of the opportunity. You go in with Cheng Yuan."

"What! Me??" Bai Qianfan pointed at himself with a blank expression.

He glanced at Cheng Yuan, whose face was grim beside him, and gave a bitter laugh: "No...no, let's not."

What a joke! He wouldn't dare go into the "Sweet Challenge" with a guy who just failed to confess his feelings, unless he didn't want to come out alive.

Hearing Chu Jianshan's words, Cheng Yuan assumed that he was still holding a grudge about what had just happened, so he said in a huff, "You don't need to leave, I'll just go. You go in with Bai Qianfan."

Bai Qianfan: "..."

It's like the saying goes, "When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer." He's caught in the middle, neither side is safe! He's doomed whether either of those two goes in with him or not!

"Hey you two, stop being so stubborn, okay? You two go inside obediently, and I'll wait for you outside, isn't that great!"

Chu Jianshan said coldly, "I'm not acting out of spite; I'm considering the bigger picture."

"Good, good, you're the best at considering the big picture!"

While persuading him, she pushed Chu Jianshan to this side of the entrance, and then busied herself pushing Cheng Yuan over there as well.

"After discussion, it has been decided that the two of you will go!"

Chu Jianshan frowned: "When was this discussed with everyone?"

Bai Qianfan said shamelessly, "My nickname is Quanti, but that won't work!"

Seeing that Chu Jianshan was still struggling, Bai Qianfan quickly stopped him, saying, "Alright! It's decided then! I'll count to three, and you'll all go in at the same time. Are you ready?"

"one"

"two"

Suddenly, a violent tremor shook the ground beneath their feet. Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan lost their balance and fell in simultaneously, disappearing from Bai Qianfan's sight.

Bai Qianfan was still standing there, holding up three fingers, stunned: "I haven't even counted to three yet..."

[Author's Note]

I hope my little readers are happy every day! [Exaggerated praise]