Chapter 61 (061) - Two-in-One [VIP]

Yue Ling's injuries had almost exhausted all the purple flowers in the girl's basket. His wounds differed from Yin Chu Jiu's; Yin Chu Jiu only had a few, while his were scattered all over his body. Under the healing power of the purple flowers, the wounds slowly healed. Wounds that had previously refused to heal began to close, and the smaller ones were almost completely healed. Seeing this, the girl wiped the sweat from her brow, smiled, and said to Yin Chu Jiu, "It's healed."

As soon as the girl finished speaking, Yin Chu Jiu arrived at Yue Ling's side and carefully examined his wounds. Only then did her tense nerves relax slightly. After the girl's treatment, Yue Ling's wounds healed considerably, and his complexion regained some color.

"Thank you." Yin Chu Jiu thanked the girl again. After a long silence, his voice was low and hoarse, and somewhat unpleasant.

The girl waved her hands repeatedly, smiling and saying, "No need, no need. Grandpa has always taught me to be kind to others and to help others." As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at Yue Ling, and said shyly, "Your companion is really good-looking."

"Yes, Yue Ling is the most handsome, no one can compare," Yin Chu Jiu said, touching Yue Ling's face, which had regained some color. The girl watched Yin Chu Jiu's actions and looked at him, feeling something was amiss. His actions towards this boy seemed a little too intimate.

"My name is Jing Yan, what's your name?"

"Hello, my name is Yin Chu Jiu."

The girl's voice drew Yin Chu Jiu's attention away from Yue Ling. He looked at the girl beside him, who had put her basket back on her back and asked him hesitantly with a smile, "Do you want to come back to our village with me?"

"Your village?"

"Hmm." Jing Yan nodded, her eyes crinkling. "You two are seriously injured. The purple star flower I used just now can only help you with basic treatment. If you want your wounds to heal completely, you will need more treatment."

Given the current situation, going to an unfamiliar village is not a wise move, but Yin Chu Jiu thought for a while and then agreed, "Then I'll trouble you."

"No trouble at all, no trouble at all."

Carrying Yue Ling on his back, Yin Chu Jiu set off again, but this time he wasn't traveling aimlessly; he was following someone. He no longer adopted a defensive posture, and the girl was less tense. As they traveled together, the two chatted as they went.

From the girl, Yin Chu Jiu learned where they were. It was said that this forest was called the Forest of Sunlight, a forest in the western part of the Illusionary Demon Continent, rarely visited by people. In this forest, there was only the village of the girl and her family. Yin Chu Jiu did not have a map and did not know their exact location. He also did not know who Jing Yan was. This was an illusion created based on Yue Ling's memories, so Jing Yan must be someone he met later.

He asked the girl how far the Moon Forest was from here, but she shook her head and said she didn't know; she had never heard of the Moon Forest. Therefore, Yin Chu Jiu had no choice but to give up trying to find out more and could only wait patiently for Yue Ling to recover before they could leave to find Zi Zhuo and the others.

Actually, Yin Chu Jiu was secretly pleased. Mo Ling said this illusion could only last until Yue Ling regained his strength and memories. If Yue Ling was injured and time was delayed, wouldn't that mean he could spend more time with Yue Ling?

"Um..." Yin Chu Jiu was lost in her own thoughts. The girl Jing Yan had her head down and looked very embarrassed. Yin Chu Jiu looked at her in confusion, and after a long while, she asked softly, "What's your companion's name?"

The girl's face flushed slightly, her eyelashes drooped, and her large eyes held a shy expression. Yin Chu Jiu's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately understood what she meant. She was actually interested in Yue Ling. He suddenly remembered the girl's exclamation of admiration when she treated Yue Ling earlier. At the time, he thought it was just her pure amazement at Yue Ling's appearance, but now it seemed that the girl had clearly fallen in love with Yue Ling at first sight.

Yue Ling was handsome, tall and elegant, a perfect description of a refined gentleman. Even when he was injured, covered in blood and looking somewhat disheveled, his pale face and strands of hair sticking to his cheeks, which would be considered disheveled by others, appeared sickly to him, giving him a unique charm.

He possesses a unique protagonist aura that no other mortal could possibly have—to put it bluntly, Yin Chu Jiu wrote Yue Ling so well, giving him such a powerful advantage that other supporting characters couldn't help but fall for him, and his underlings followed him wholeheartedly.

The same goes for the black cat Miaomiao, except that the black cat Miaomiao has an extra characteristic—she loves to eat, which is why she fell for the wrong person and chose the wrong partner.

Yin Chu Jiu: "..."

Yin Chu Jiu was furious. Every girl he saw seemed to have a crush on Yue Ling—this was outrageous! He and Yue Ling were the couple, and now this girl was suddenly appearing as his rival. What's worse, he'd practically created this rival himself, making him even angrier.

Hearing this, Yin Chu Jiu, still fuming, couldn't leave with her back to the person. She narrowed her eyes and looked at the girl beside her. To be fair, the girl was quite pretty. Although she was wearing coarse clothes, she had an ethereal temperament and clear eyes. She had a pure quality that other beauties didn't have. But no matter how pretty she was, she was still an illusion. Girl, give up. There was no way you and Yue Ling could be together.

Illusion...

Upon hearing this word, Yin Chu Jiu's anger deflated instantly, as if someone had poked it, and she lost all her energy.

In the illusion, the girl and Yue Ling were impossible. As an outsider who entered the illusion, he had no future with Yue Ling either. He gently lifted Yue Ling's leg and continued walking. The girl caught up, somewhat curious about his actions, "Um... can't you say?"

Yin Chu Jiu's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and she said somewhat dejectedly, "His name is Yue Ling."

"Yue Ling?" The girl's eyes lit up even more.

"Um."

Yue Ling—this name, which took him a lot of time and effort to come up with, is the name he thinks sounds the best.

"What a lovely name!" the girl said with a smile. She couldn't quite put her finger on why the name sounded so good, but it just sounded nice. She furtively glanced at the still unconscious boy, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with laughter. "What does he do? Why did you come to this forest? Did you run into some trouble?"

The girl's eyes were full of smiles, crinkling into crescents. Her slightly open eyes seemed to be filled with stars, a breathtaking sight. Jing Yan was different from Yun Miao; she wasn't a woman sent by Mo Ling, and her personality was different too. Her enthusiasm and innocence were truly captivating.

Although he knew that Yue Ling only liked him and wouldn't have feelings for anyone else, he was both angry and jealous to see a handsome person interested in Yue Ling. However, no matter how uncomfortable he felt, he couldn't stop Jing Yan from getting close to him. He had no right to tell Jing Yan about his relationship with Yue Ling.

As someone who is ultimately leaving, what right does he have to allow others to get close to Yue Ling?

It might be better if Yue Ling fell in love with someone else. He would probably be much more relaxed if he liked someone else than him.

Jingyan's village was deep in the forest, surrounded by mountains. There was only one road leading out, and even that required an experienced villager to find it. Led by Jingyan, they reached the village after about half an hour, indicating that Yin Chu Jiu and Yue Ling were already deep in the forest. If they had followed Yin Chu Jiu's plan and chosen a direction, they might have gotten lost in the forest within a few days and never found their way out.

This is a quaint little village with only a few dozen households. Nestled deep in the forest, the village exudes tranquility. Because it's rarely visited, Jing Yan's return with her entourage immediately attracted the attention of others.

Upon entering the village, Yin Chu Jiu carried Yue Ling on his back and followed behind Jing Yan. He looked around the small village and, for some reason, felt a sense of familiarity with this village he had never seen before.

“Third Master, these are the people I met outside. They were injured, so I brought them back,” Jing Yan explained to an elderly man in the crowd. “I’ll take them to where Brother Lin used to live, and I’ll explain to you in detail later.”

The girl probably did this often. Seeing that Yin Chu Jiu and Yue Ling were covered in wounds, the man she called Third Master listened to their explanation and didn't stop them, letting them go. The others didn't object either, and after watching for a while, they dispersed. Just as the girl said, everyone in their village was kind and helpful to others.

Jingyan led Yin Chujiu to a simple courtyard and said, "This is Brother Lin's house. Brother Lin left the village and never came back. You can stay here. I'll go back and put the basket away, talk to Third Grandfather, and then come and help you pack."

"Thank you, you've gone to so much trouble," Yin Chu Jiu said. "It's nothing, you don't need to come and help me, I can handle it myself."

"Don't be so polite. I don't think it's troublesome at all. You guys go in first, I'll be right back." Jing Yan glanced at Yue Ling on Yin Chu Jiu's back, her face flushed, and said this. After she finished speaking, she turned around and ran away, leaving Yin Chu Jiu standing there staring at her back with a sour feeling in her heart.

The girl is becoming increasingly open about her feelings for Yue Ling.

No, Yin Chu Jiu suddenly jolted awake. Even if he didn't have the right to help Yue Ling reject people, he did have the right to tell Jing Yan about his relationship with Yue Ling.

After thinking about it all the way, he finally understood that even if he couldn't stay with Yue Ling forever, he had the right to tell his rival about his relationship with Yue Ling before Yue Ling regained her memories, before this illusion disappeared, and before he and Yue Ling separated.

Leaving is only related to him and Yue Ling, and has nothing to do with any third person. He cannot allow Jing Yan to get close to Yue Ling just because he wants to leave. That would be unfair to Yue Ling and also unfair to Jing Yan.

When Jingyan arrives, he will explain everything to her.

No matter how many reasons there are, there is really only one reason—he is jealous, he is jealous.

Having made up his mind, Yin Chu Jiu carried Yue Ling into the small house. The house was simple, but it had all the necessary furniture; it was just dusty from being uninhabited for so long. He first cleaned out a spot, placed Yue Ling down, and then went to tidy up the rest of the house. At this moment, he was incredibly grateful for his life experience from the previous years; cleaning a house was much easier for him now.

First he swept the floor, then fetched water to wipe the furniture, and then mopped the floor. After repeating this several times, the room was almost clean. Straightening up, Yin Chu Jiu rubbed his back, picked up a bucket, and went out to fetch water. There was a well outside the house, and that's where he got his water. He wiped the furniture in the room again, then moved Yue Ling to the bed. After finishing all this, he realized something was wrong—Jing Yan hadn't come.

Yin Chu Jiu didn't want Jing Yan to come and help with the cleaning; rather, Jing Yan hadn't come, and as outsiders to the village, he was worried that Jing Yan might be in trouble because of them. Thinking of this, he wanted to go check, but as soon as he stepped outside, he realized he had no idea where Jing Yan was. He paused, then turned and went back inside.

—He should stay here and not go out and cause trouble for Jingyan.

At this moment, he missed Yue Ling terribly. If Yue Ling were awake, perhaps their situation wouldn't be so passive.

After taking off his coat, Yin Chu Jiu got into bed and lay down next to Yue Ling. He carefully avoided Yue Ling's wounds and leaned close to him, staring at his profile. He lowered his voice and said, "Yue Ling, when will you wake up? I'm so worried."

"And..." He paused, his voice growing even lower, almost a murmur, "I have something else to say to you, you know, I both hope you wake up and hope you don't, I both hope your injuries heal quickly and hope your wounds heal slowly."

He was barely safe, and then he remembered what Mo Ling had told him: he wouldn't be in this illusion forever; he would leave. As long as Yue Ling regained his power and memories, the illusion would disappear, and he would go back.

He can't stay with Yue Ling forever; the two of them can't be together.

Propelling herself up, Yin Chu Jiu leaned against Yue Ling, gazing intently at his face with eyes that seemed to want to imprint him in her heart. She thought... she thought she could be with him. That's what she wanted, to be with him forever, to eat together, to sleep together, whether in the illusion or outside of it. She would keep her promise to him, to always be together, to always be good to him, with no one else but the two of them.

But that won't do.

I'm sorry, I can't always be with you.

He can wait, but his lifespan cannot.

Mo Ling is right, he and Yue Ling are not suitable for each other, he cannot be with Yue Ling.

He closed his eyes briefly, then slowly lowered his head and pressed his lips to Yue Ling's forehead—a kiss he cherished and treated with utmost care. That's how it is. Once Yue Ling's injuries heal, he'll find a way to contact Zi Zhuo and Mo Ling. He can't stop them, so he can only go with them.

The illusion is about to end, and there's no stopping it.

He has about ten days left; he will persevere. The Scorpion Palace's sudden attack indicates they were prepared. Since this world hasn't disappeared, the Scorpion Palace will know he's still alive, and knowing he's alive, they will use all their power to find him. Both the Scorpion Palace members and Mo Ling have said his soul fluctuations are different, meaning he and Yue Ling aren't safe here. He doesn't know whether Mo Ling and his group or the Scorpion Palace members will come first.

"Yue Ling, please wake up soon." Wake up quickly, let's go to the Moon Forest quickly, break the seal, become the strongest, and then... leave this illusion, Yin Chu Jiu said softly. Composing himself, he raised his head, slightly calmer, preparing to risk the danger to find Jing Yan. However, as soon as he opened his eyes, he met the eyes of Yue Ling, who had woken up at some point. Yin Chu Jiu was immediately stunned, "Yue Ling?"

He was first surprised, then nervous, his heart pounding with anxiety. "How long have you been awake? Did you hear everything I said?" Did Yue Ling hear everything he said before, or just a little bit?

Yue Ling smiled and pressed Yin Chu Jiu's head down, her lips landing perfectly on his. "I'm awake. Are you happy? I woke up quickly because you told me to."

It seemed he hadn't heard the previous words, but only the last one, and Yin Chu Jiu's heart settled down.

Yue Ling lingered on Yin Chu Jiu's lips, caressing them gently for a long time before releasing him. He longed to press him down and kiss him fiercely, but the current situation wouldn't allow it. Sitting up in bed, Yue Ling looked at the scene, completely different from what he had seen before he lost consciousness, and asked softly, "Chu Jiu, where are we now?"

Yin Chu Jiu immediately understood that Yue Ling had remembered everything. He was in a cave before he fell unconscious, but woke up in bed, hence his question. He organized his thoughts and recounted his experiences over the past few days. After listening, Yue Ling's handsome eyebrows furrowed. "So, I've been unconscious for two days."

"Um."

"Chu Jiu." Yue Ling suddenly reached out and hugged Yin Chu Jiu, his voice low and hoarse as he sighed, "You must be very worried."

Yin Chu Jiu paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Yes, I'm very worried."

"Don't worry, I won't allow anything like this to happen again." Yue Ling released Yin Chu Jiu, lifted his chin, looked into his eyes, and said, "I will never let anyone threaten or hurt you again. The people from Scorpion Palace want to kill you. Once I'm better, I'll kill them all. No one will be allowed to hurt you. Even if something happens that I can't bear, I will be with you and go wherever you go. Even if I die, I will never abandon you."

Yue Ling was referring to their journey into the spatial rift together. At that time, Qiu Jiu was after Yin Chu Jiu, but Yue Ling embraced him, and the two entered the rift together. In the end, thanks to his protection, neither of them died inside.

Yin Chu Jiu was trembling and speechless.

Seemingly aware of Yin Chu Jiu's emotions, Yue Ling smiled and said, "So you can rely on me with peace of mind, and be with me with peace of mind. I will also do my best to protect you."

"I'm sorry." But Yue Ling's eyes turned cold, and his lips curled into a stiff line. "I failed to protect you this time, and you've suffered so much."

Yin Chu Jiu immediately snapped back to reality. "No, Yue Ling, I didn't suffer. I wasn't hurt. You're the one who suffered. You protected me. You're so good to me. I didn't feel any pain carrying you on my back. On the contrary, I felt very happy. I was so happy to be alone with you." After saying the last sentence, Yin Chu Jiu stopped, feeling a little embarrassed.

Yue Ling paused, her expression freezing for a moment, before breaking into a stunning smile. She pulled Yin Chu Jiu back into her arms, her voice no longer cold, but teasing, and said, "Then I should stay unconscious a little longer so you can continue to take care of me, right?"

"No!" Yin Chu Jiu blushed. "It would be better if you woke up. I hope you wake up."

Yue Ling's mood grew increasingly pleasant. He had never imagined, nor dared to imagine, such a scene. He held the person in his arms contentedly and said in a tone that made him blush even more, "If you want me to wake up, you should kiss my lips, not my forehead. That way, I will definitely wake up faster."

Yue Ling's teasing skills were getting more and more sophisticated, and Yin Chu Jiu could hardly resist. He wanted to get up from Yue Ling's embrace, but he couldn't bear to, because he didn't know how much longer he could stay with Yue Ling like this.

He was like a thief stealing time, secretly stealing it for his own selfish desires, indulging his lusts in such a dangerous moment.

Yin Chu Jiu despised his selfish self, but the plot destined him to steal very little time. While he was blaming himself, Yue Ling had fallen silent at some point. He frowned slightly and stared at the doorway of the room.

Yin Chu Jiu looked up, and Yue Ling said in a low voice, "Chu Jiu, someone is coming."

A person? Yin Chu Jiu paused for a second, then realized something. He turned his head, and sure enough, a person ran in shortly after. The person was covered in sweat, with a flushed face and bright eyes. When she saw the handsome young man sitting on the bed, her face turned even redder. Under the young man's scrutinizing gaze, she slowed her pace and walked forward shyly, slightly out of breath, saying, "You're awake?"

Yue Ling's gaze sharpened. He knew who the person in front of him was. He nodded and said, "Thank you for treating me and for taking care of Chu Jiu."

Jing Yan waved her hands repeatedly, "No need to thank me, it's my pleasure." After she finished speaking, she felt that she had refused too quickly, and she should have seized the opportunity to talk to him more.

The boy was even more beautiful than she had ever seen before. If the previous boy was like a fine porcelain piece, then this porcelain piece was like one infused with a soul, full of spirit. She had never seen such a handsome boy before, so handsome that he was more eye-catching than the sun in the sky.

Biting her lip, she picked up the basket from her back and said to him with a slight smile, "Your injury hasn't healed yet, shall I help you change your dressing?" Jing Yan thought the boy would answer, but he only glanced at her as if she were an ordinary person before looking away. His attention was entirely on Yin Chu Jiu beside him. He didn't even look at her, but only at Yin Chu Jiu beside him as he replied, "No need to trouble you. Just give the medicine to Chu Jiu, he will help me change it. Thank you for treating me. I will definitely repay you handsomely after I recover."

Jing Yan was a little stunned, and Yin Chu Jiu was also a little stunned, but the reason for his stunnedness was different from Jing Yan's. After he heard Yue Ling say that someone had come, he thought it might be Jing Yan. He wanted to talk to Jing Yan about his relationship with Yue Ling. However, he did not expect that before he could speak, Jing Yan would take the initiative to approach Yue Ling, which made him unable to react for a moment.

Seeing Jing Yan stunned and hearing what Yue Ling said, Yin Chu Jiu immediately came to his senses. He quickly said to Jing Yan, "Jing Yan, just give me the medicine. I can change Yue Ling's medicine."

Jingyan let out a soft "Ah," sounding somewhat dejected, "Why?"

Because Yue Ling didn't like outsiders getting close to him, and he didn't like anyone getting close to Yue Ling, Yin Chu Jiu planned to go downstairs and talk to Jing Yan to make things clear. But as soon as he moved, Yue Ling hugged him tightly around the waist. "Where are you going?"

Yue Ling hugged Yin Chu Jiu, and Jing Yan's expression immediately changed. Yin Chu Jiu patted the back of Yue Ling's hand and said gently, "I have something to say to Jing Yan."

Yue Ling frowned slightly, glancing at the girl standing to the side, seemingly trying to determine what conditions she could offer to make Yin Chu Jiu leave him and speak to her alone. Yin Chu Jiu sensed Yue Ling's intention, leaning close to his ear and whispering a few words. As his words fell, Yue Ling's eyes first showed disbelief, then disgust, and finally, undisguised joy.

Once all the changes were complete, he nodded, seemingly suppressing his joy and feigning calmness, "Okay, then come back soon."

"Yes, I'll be back soon," Yin Chu Jiu said. After saying that, he got out of bed and walked to Jing Yan's side, asking her to go out for a moment because he had something to say to her.

Jing Yan didn't want to leave Yue Ling; she hadn't had enough of this handsome young man yet. But she felt that what Yin Chu Jiu was going to say must be related to Yue Ling, so she nodded and followed him out.

Yin Chu Jiu didn't take Jing Yan very far. She stopped right outside the room. The distance was so close that it made the person inside feel safe.

"Jingyan." Yin Chu Jiu lowered his head slightly. The girl was a little shorter than him, and he looked directly into her eyes. "I'm sorry there's something I didn't tell you."

Jingyan was a little nervous. She felt that this matter was related to the boy inside, and also to her.

Yin Chu Jiu turned his head slightly, avoiding the girl's clear eyes. He felt guilty, but still said firmly, "I like Yue Ling."

Jing Yan's eyes widened.

"Yue Ling likes me too."

"We are a couple."

"So, you don't need to arrange an extra room for us. We'll stay together all the time," Yin Chu Jiu said gently. This was the most dignified way he could think of to refuse Jing Yan, while reminding her of another matter that she and Yue Ling were a couple and that she couldn't pursue Yue Ling.

Jing Yan remained silent, and Yin Chu Jiu also stopped speaking, waiting for Jing Yan to process the information. After a long while, Jing Yan spoke again, her voice hoarse, seemingly incredulous, "But, you two are both men."

"How could he like men? How could you like men too?"

Yin Chu Jiu looked at the girl again, her expression serious. "Jing Yan, love can happen between people of the same sex or the opposite sex. It's not a strange thing. Besides, we don't like men; we just happen to like each other."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this right away," Yin Chu Jiu said in a low voice. Then, without looking at the girl's expression, he turned and went into the house, because he knew that the girl must have heard what he said and knew why he said it.

Standing behind the door, Yin Chu Jiu tilted his head to listen to the sounds outside. Sure enough, after a short while, he heard footsteps leaving. The footsteps grew farther and farther away until they disappeared.

Only after all the sounds had disappeared did he close the door and return inside.

He had just returned when he was embraced tightly. Above him came Yue Ling's voice, barely concealing her joy, "Chu Jiu, you're really jealous of me! I'm so happy!"

Yin Chu Jiu hugged Yue Ling's waist, hummed in agreement, and then said, "I like you, how could I not be jealous of you?"

Hearing Yin Chu Jiu say this, Yue Ling's joy was almost overflowing. He hugged the person in his arms tightly, his breathing gradually becoming heavy. He held the person in his arms tightly and said with intense desire, "Chu Jiu, I want to hold you, I'm going crazy with longing for you."

"I want to grow up quickly, I want to become stronger quickly." His voice was low and hoarse. "Touch me, I won't hug you, just touch me." He remembered what Yin Chu Jiu had said before, so he didn't hug him, he just wanted him to touch him.

Yue Ling patiently guided Yin Chu Jiu's hand downwards, not wanting to frighten him. However, before it even touched the area he was aroused from, Yin Chu Jiu withdrew her hand. A layer of sweat appeared on Yue Ling's forehead. "Chu Jiu..."

"Yue Ling, hold me." Yue Ling called out Yin Chu Jiu's name impatiently, but the next moment he heard Yin Chu Jiu say this. He suddenly opened his eyes wide and saw the boy's face. The boy's face was red, but his eyes were firm. "Yue Ling, I want you to hold me."

Yin Chu Jiu pressed her forehead against Yue Ling's forehead, pleading with a hint of emotion, "Yue Ling, hug me."

Yin Chu Jiu didn't remember anything clearly after that. He only remembered that he was suddenly thrown onto the bed by the boy, lying face down on the blanket. The blanket still had a musty smell from not seeing the sun for a long time, but he didn't care about the smell. His attention was completely drawn to the boy who was busy behind him.

He remembered the boy kissing his entire back, touching his entire body, and then slowly entering him.

The moment the boy entered, he cried and hugged the person on his body, hoarsely uttering for the first time his most straightforward feelings for him, "Yue Ling, I like you."

Author's Note:

Yue Ling: What do you have to say to her?

Yin Chu Jiu: She likes you, and I'm jealous. I need to talk to her and make things clear so she won't pursue you anymore.

Yue Ling: !!! Go ahead, I'll wait for you to come back (*^▽^*)

Here it is! Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the [nutrient solution]:

Two bottles of Shi Ying;

Thank you so much for your support, I will continue to work hard!