Chapter 95 Happy Birthday

As the intense pain subsided, Chu Jianshan was still not fully conscious, but he could hear people moving around him.

He forced his eyes open, the blinding candlelight making him uncomfortable. When his vision cleared, he saw Bai Qianfan.

"What... are you doing here?"

Hearing his hoarse voice, Bai Qianfan quickly handed him a cup of tea, but kept his head down, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

Chu Jianshan took the tea and drank a sip, then suddenly remembered that he shouldn't know his own identity. He tentatively asked, "You... know who I am, right?"

Bai Qianfan nodded: "Chu Jianshan."

Chu Jianshan breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed his guess was correct; the intense pain he had experienced earlier must have been his soul leaving his body. The body Zhao Yi had found for him had reached its end, and now…

He looked down at his body and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that everything was alright. He wondered how Cheng Yuan had managed to retrieve this body.

Bai Qianfan said, "Don't worry, I've checked your body and there are no aftereffects. Cheng Yuan asked me to come and take care of you."

"Cheng Yuan..." Chu Jianshan asked, "Where did he go?"

Bai Qianfan replied: "Qingyao City."

Chu Jianshan nodded. He had asked him to save Ji Shi before he lost consciousness, so he must have saved him by now.

"I'm sorry," Chu Jianshan apologized to him first.

Bai Qianfan forced a smile: "It's been so long, it's good that you're back."

Chu Jianshan looked up at the person in front of him and felt that Bai Qianfan was not quite right.

According to his plan, Bai Qianfan should have given him a good scolding, but what's with this strange silence now?

"Bai Qianfan," Chu Jianshan called to him.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Bai Qianfan seemed to suddenly come to his senses.

Chu Jianshan asked, "Are you hiding something from me?" Though it was a question, his tone was one of certainty.

Bai Qianfan was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "No."

Chu Jianshan said firmly, "You can't lie to me. Is there anything you can't tell me?"

The person on the other end remained silent, but Chu Jianshan seemed to suddenly realize something and asked, "Has something happened in Qingyao City?"

Bai Qianfan neither nodded nor denied it.

Once a seed of doubt is planted in your heart, it will uncontrollably take root and sprout. Chu Jianshan immediately threw back the covers and was about to get out of bed when Bai Qianfan stopped him: "Where are you going!?"

Chu Jianshan said, "If you don't tell me, I'll go see for myself."

Bai Qianfan said, "You've only just recovered! Don't be silly!"

"Then tell me!" Chu Jianshan looked at you: "Tell me what happened in Qingyao City, tell me what happened to Ji Shi!"

"I..." Bai Qianfan's eyes reddened slightly, her voice trembling, "Ji Shi, he..."

Seeing him hesitate, Chu Jianshan's limbs went weak, his breathing trembled, and his mind went blank with panic: "What's wrong with Ji Shi?"

“He…” Ji Shi stammered, unable to finish his sentence.

"Tell me what's wrong with him!" Chu Jianshan had already lost control of his emotions.

"He...is gone."

Chu Jianshan instantly lost his strength and staggered back two steps. His heart seemed to stop abruptly, and he sank to the bottom of the valley. All the blood in his body froze at that moment.

"Chu Jianshan," Bai Qianfan stopped him in time, "Are you alright?"

"What do you mean 'gone'?" Chu Jianshan's breathing trembled. "How could it be gone..."

He gripped Bai Qianfan's arms tightly and cried out, "Didn't I send Cheng Yuan to save him? How could this happen?"

“It’s too late,” Bai Qianfan said, a tear falling onto the back of his hand, his voice barely audible. “Jiang Yan deliberately concealed the massacre from Linyimen. By the time Cheng Yuan arrived, Ji Shi had already died defending the city.”

His vision blurred, and Chu Jianshan, with a lump in his throat, forced back tears and asked, "Where is the body...?"

Bai Qianfan said, "Lin Mumu collected his body and buried him in Yunshan, north of the city."

Chu Jianshan closed his eyes, and two lines of tears flowed uncontrollably down his face. He had always thought that Ji Shi, this child, knew how to avoid harm and wouldn't hurt himself even if his spiritual power wasn't strong.

He was... such a person who was afraid of pain.

With his hands hanging limply at his sides, Chu Jianshan walked towards the door step by step, as if he had lost his soul.

Bai Qianfan tried to stop him: "Chu Jianshan! Where are you going?"

Chu Jianshan didn't answer him, and continued walking. He was going to Yunshan, and he wanted to see Ji Shi one more time.

The heavy snow fell for a day and a night, turning the entire Yunshan Mountain white and making it impossible to see the road.

Chu Jianshan didn't know how he found the place; he only relied on his intuition and saw a familiar person in front of an unfamiliar grave.

"Cheng Yuan..." Chu Jianshan called out to him.

"Master?" Cheng Yuan snapped out of his daze and hurriedly asked, "Why are you here?"

Cheng Yuan strode over, half-embracing Chu Jianshan, intending to give him his cloak, but Chu Jianshan slowly pushed him away.

Cheng Yuan looked dejected and withdrew his hand.

Chu Jianshan turned to look at the tombstone and stared at the two characters "Ji Shi" for a long time.

He reached out and wiped the snow off the monument, forcing a smile as he said, "I came in such a hurry that I forgot to bring him anything."

After a moment of silence, Cheng Yuan suddenly said, "He won't blame Master. The one who should blame the most is me."

He looked at Chu Jianshan: "Until the last time I saw him before he died, I still couldn't clear up the misunderstanding between us, and he was still hating me until his last breath."

Chu Jianshan stroked the tombstone, the cold snowflakes melting on his fingertips: "Perhaps he never hated you."

Cheng Yuan said, "News has come from Changjin Mountain that Jiang Yan is dead, and the position of sect leader will be inherited by A Sheng."

Chu Jianshan paused for a moment, his eyelashes fluttered slightly, and he softly hummed in agreement.

After a while, he said, "It's still not enough."

Cheng Yuan: "What?"

Chu Jianshan's shoulders were covered in white snow, and his plain clothes swayed in the wind: "The dead are not enough. He is not the only one who killed Ji Shi."

Cheng Yuan lowered his eyes: "I understand. There's also Qiao Yi. Without his authorization, Jiang Yan wouldn't dare to openly frame Linyimen."

Chu Jianshan clenched his fingers and said, "His name is Zhao Yi."

Cheng Yuan's eyes widened, wondering if he had misheard. But before he could confirm, Chu Jianshan turned around first.

"It's the person you're thinking of. Five hundred years ago, the great hero who sacrificed his life and was praised by everyone—Zhao Yi."

Cheng Yuan followed his train of thought: "Then those so-called demons..."

Chu Jianshan continued, "It doesn't exist at all."

“No wonder…” Cheng Yuan frowned: “Back then, in order to save my master, the only condition he asked of me was my blood. It must be related to puppetry.”

Chu Jianshan nodded: "That's where his brilliance lies. Puppetry is not just about controlling people; in his hands, it has become a deadly weapon. With your blood added to the mix, he probably won't be so easy to deal with."

Cheng Yuan lowered his eyes and said, "Master, I..."

“I’m not blaming you,” Chu Jianshan interrupted, “If we’re really going to talk about it, it’s my fault as your master for not teaching you properly.”

Cheng Yuan gritted his teeth and turned his head slightly; these words only made him feel worse.

“It was a crime I committed, and I admit it,” Cheng Yuan said.

Chu Jianshan didn't speak, but stared intently at Ji Shi's tombstone. After a long while, as if he had made up his mind, he said to Cheng Yuan, "Send a message to Chang Jinshan. I need Asheng to do me a favor."

Cheng Yuan was somewhat puzzled: "Chang Jinshan is too busy taking care of itself right now, how can she help?"

Chu Jianshan replied, "Only she can do it now."

Chu Jianshan followed Cheng Yuan back to Linyi Gate and learned the general situation from him.

Most of the members of Linyi Sect have now submitted to Cheng Yuan, with only a small number of die-hards still supporting Zhao Yi. On the surface, Cheng Yuan has a greater chance of winning, but Zhao Yi controls countless puppets, many of whom have been trained by him for an unknown period of time, and their abilities are likely far beyond their imagination.

"With so many puppets, what can he control?" Cheng Yuan asked.

That's a good question. He'd encountered the puppet many times before, but he'd never seen it use anything to control it. Chu Jianshan strained his mind to recall, then pushed back the memory of the mask the puppet was wearing when they first met.

It seems that every time he reveals his true form, he is wearing that fox mask.

"Perhaps... that mask?" Chu Jianshan muttered.

Following his words, Cheng Yuan recalled, "That mask was indeed suspicious, but... there are many magical artifacts that can serve as carriers of magic, and most people would choose something small and easy to hide. Masks are too obvious."

Chu Jianshan disagreed: "What if this thing has special significance for him?"

“He is a stubborn and obstinate person, but he has a reason for doing everything. I don’t believe this is just an ordinary mask.”

“Okay,” Cheng Yuan conceded, “I will tell Asheng everything.”

Chu Jianshan nodded and turned to leave.

"Master!" Cheng Yuan called out to him.

Chu Jianshan turned around: "Is there anything else?"

"I..." Cheng Yuan lowered his head and stammered, "I just wanted to say that it's getting late, Master, why don't you rest here?"

Chu Jianshan was about to agree, but when he looked up, he saw the faded double happiness symbol on the wall. Memories flooded back, and he blurted out, "No need."

He left behind the words "Get some rest" and turned to leave, leaving Cheng Yuan alone once again in the vast "Sleepless Abode".

His dark robes fluttered in the cold wind, but his tall figure couldn't hide his desolation. Cheng Yuan gripped the jade pendant in his hand, looked in the direction Chu Jianshan had left, and whispered, "Master, happy birthday."

The next morning, while Chu Jianshan was still half asleep, he heard the wooden door being pushed open, followed by Cheng Yuan's smiling voice.

"Is Master awake yet? I made some porridge. Master, please wash up and have some."

He thought it was a dream, so he let Cheng Yuan in the dream pull him up, put on his outer robe, and fix his hair.

He slumped his head onto Cheng Yuan's shoulder as if he had no bones, and said lazily, "I don't want to get up..."

Cheng Yuan paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "If you don't get up soon, the porridge will get cold. It's Master's favorite."

This was Cheng Yuan's usual trick, but Chu Jianshan always fell for it.

Putting on her shoes, getting out of bed, combing her hair—every step was exactly the same as back in Changjin Mountain. Otherwise, it wouldn't have taken Chu Jianshan a while to fully wake up and realize where she was.

He stood frozen in front of the mirror, looking at Cheng Yuan, who was tying his hair up behind him. Today, he was dressed in white, and apart from looking more mature, he was almost no different from the young Cheng Yuan from before.

"What are you doing?" Chu Jianshan said coldly.

Cheng Yuan's hand, which was tying up his hair, suddenly paused. Then, pretending not to care, he continued with his actions, a smile playing on his lips as he asked, "Does Master not like it?"

Chu Jianshan said, "No matter how much you like it, you can't go back to the past."

Cheng Yuan stubbornly replied, "Why can't I go back? As long as I want to, as long as Master is still willing."

Chu Jianshan looked into Cheng Yuan's eyes through the mirror: "Do you really enjoy deceiving yourself like that?"

Cheng Yuan stopped what he was doing and looked back at him defiantly: "As long as Master doesn't leave me, I'm willing to live a lie for the rest of my life."

Chu Jianshan didn't speak again, but looked at the two people in the mirror. The mirror was big enough to reflect their tense gazes.

Chu Jianshan turned his head slightly and saw the fine lines at the corners of his eyes. So... he was no longer young? But Cheng Yuan behind him was still in the prime of his youth, just like he had been back then, ignorant of the immensity of the world.

He had always wanted to make amends for his mistakes back then, but he found himself going further and further astray, unable to atone for his sins no matter what he did. He was no better than Cheng Yuan, so what right did he have to blame him?

"That's enough, that's enough." Chu Jianshan closed his eyes and sighed softly.

Seeing him like this, Cheng Yuan thought that Chu Jianshan was still blaming him, so he grabbed Chu Jianshan's arms, slowly knelt down, and whispered, "Master, I didn't want to run away from all of this, I just... I was just afraid that you would hate me."

Chu Jianshan opened his eyes and reached out to touch his face.

"Master...?" Cheng Yuan's eyes gleamed as he looked at Chu Jianshan in disbelief.

Chu Jianshan could no longer control himself, and a tear fell, landing on Cheng Yuan's eye.

Cheng Yuan panicked and wiped away his tears with trembling hands, but the more she wiped, the more tears he shed.

"Master, I was wrong, I was wrong, please don't cry." Cheng Yuan was extremely flustered. He apologized while wiping away Chu Jianshan's tears. He tried to stand up, but Chu Jianshan pressed him down.

Chu Jianshan lowered his head and kissed her.

Cheng Yuan knelt on the spot, stunned and at a loss.

After a long while, he finally reacted, pressed down on the back of Chu Jianshan's head, breathed heavily, and kissed him back fiercely.

Chu Jianshan did not stop him, so Cheng Yuan kissed him more and more fiercely, not even noticing when blood appeared on his lips.

He stood up, picked Chu Jianshan up in his arms, and carried him to the bed.

Chu Jianshan lay on the bed, pinned down by Cheng Yuan, unable to breathe or move, letting his disciple ravage him.

Cheng Yuan no longer confined himself to his lips; he kissed every place he could reach—behind his ears, the hollow of his neck, his collarbone.

When the collar of his shirt was ripped open, Chu Jianshan grabbed his wrist in a trembling voice: "It's...it's okay now."

Cheng Yuan was panting heavily, his eyes red as he looked at him, but he obediently stopped making any further moves. Seeing that Chu Jianshan had not calmed down, he resigned himself to continuing to lower his head and explore Chu Jianshan's lips, only this time with much gentler movements.

Perhaps it was the wrong angle, but it touched the wound on his lip, and Chu Jianshan hissed softly.

Cheng Yuan immediately stopped what he was doing and buried his head in the crook of his neck like a child, gently rubbing against him to absorb warmth.

Chu Jianshan patted his back gently and asked, "How old are you?"

Cheng Yuan's voice was muffled: "No matter how old I am, I like Master. Master has promised, and I can't go back on my word."

"I won't go back on my word," Chu Jianshan said. "I will never go back on my word in this lifetime."

Cheng Yuan was moved and looked up to kiss him, but was interrupted by the call of the maid at the door.

"My Lord! Something terrible has happened, My Lord!" The maid rushed in and saw the two people cuddling on the bed. She cried out and then turned around with wide eyes.

Chu Jianshan turned his head and saw the maid, raising an eyebrow slightly. He had seen this girl before, but he hadn't expected her to still be so impetuous.

"I am perfectly fine," Cheng Yuan stood up, straightened his collar, and asked, "What's the matter that's so urgent?"

The maid, with her back to the two of them and her hands covering her eyes, stammered, "The new sect leader of Changjin Mountain, that Jiang Rusheng, has been captured by our former master!"

Chu Jianshan and Cheng Yuan exchanged a glance, surprised that Zhao Yi acted even faster than they had anticipated.