Chapter 121 (Two chapters combined, with bonus chapter including nutrient solution^^)
Nezha wouldn't release the demon for his own selfish desires, but he also wanted to know what Pingyu was thinking.
After pinpointing the location of the demon, Nezha lightly tapped the Qiankun Ring that had returned to his earlobe twice. The golden ring of the magical artifact swayed, its afterimage dragging and enveloping Pingyu's pupils, like a clock being ticked by a hypnotist.
Why can't I control my body? Her face, which had been resting on Nezha's chest, slowly lifted up. The boy's eyes were like mirrors, reflecting her appearance perfectly: her face was flushed, and two hot tears welled up in her eyes, swaying slightly with the movement and falling heavily onto the boy's shirt.
Nezha looked down at Ping Yu's tearful face, and the Hun Tian Ling flew towards Wang Tian like a henchman. The magical artifact picked up the bewildered man and threw him out. After Wang Tian was slammed to the ground, he saw something fall into his arms.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the face of his deceased wife.
The woman in red peeked out from behind the curtain and gestured to shoo away the man who was in her way: Go away, go away!
After it finished, it shrank back to Nezha's side.
Am I crying?
Why am I crying...?
Pingyu's head was spinning. She clung tightly to Nezha's clothes, refusing to let go, as if he were the only resilient branch she could lean on on the cliff. She was uneasy, not understanding why Nezha wouldn't get rid of the monster.
Why are you crying like that?
Gui claimed to be able to make people show their truest selves, so Nezha interpreted Pingyu's current actions as her dependence on him. In high spirits, his tone became even gentler: "Pingyu, tell me why you're sad, okay?"
The boy was guiding and enticing her; he lowered his body, his nose brushing against Pingyu's face. For a few moments, Pingyu thought Nezha was going to kiss away the tears on her face, so she leaned back timidly and squinted her eyes in fear and panic.
So that's how it is.
In a flash, Pingyu understood why Nezha didn't exorcise the demon.
There was something between them that was hidden. Nezha knew she was awkward and wanted to use Gui's abilities to find out her true feelings.
With Pingyu's current abilities, expelling Gui from her body would be effortless. Both she and Nezha knew this; Gui's surrender was merely an opportunity for them to "open their hearts." Pingyu closed her eyes repeatedly, unsure what to do. If she were to speak, she would be expressing her feelings for Nezha. But things had progressed this far; perhaps telling Nezha everything was for the best.
Their relationship should either be good or bad; it shouldn't be like an unbreakable tangled lotus root.
Shhh…
The hand that was stroking the girl's hair was instantly covered in golden light. The demon, who had been glancing at Nezha's beautiful face, suddenly sensed something was wrong. She looked back, but this action made her realize she couldn't move. Rolling her eyes upward, she saw that the boy's hand had somehow landed on the top of her head.
He wants to betray us!?
As Nezha moved, the facial features on the other head that had sprouted from Pingyu began to rotate rapidly, finally settling back on the monster's ugly appearance. The monster's initial shock subsided, replaced by rage and fear of death, causing it to struggle and scream: "Spare me! Spare me! This isn't what we agreed on!"
The piercing screams did not soften Nezha's heart.
He remained expressionless, easily pulling her out of Ping Yu's body. Gui screamed in agony, protesting, "Why? I hadn't even let her start speaking yet!"
"I don't need you anymore."
With his remaining hand, Nezha drew Pingyu's knife and placed the hilt into the girl's hand. His expression changed again as he looked at her. He whispered, "Le'an, kill her."
Since Pingyu's expression softened, it proved that her inner defenses had collapsed. Gui was merely a key that Nezha used to pry open her heart; anything of no use should die. He grasped Pingyu's hand, pulled her arm, and plunged the knife into Gui's heart.
The knife, tempered by spiritual energy and fire, sliced through the demon as easily as crushing a block of tofu. Demon blood splattered on the faces of the villains, binding them as secret accomplices.
The ghost died screaming, transforming into starlight that merged into Pingyu's heart. The gates of hell within the inner palace stirred, but Pingyu didn't look. She endured it all, finally unable to contain herself any longer, and asked, "Why?"
“I don’t want to see you cry,” Nezha said calmly, his dried tears tickling their faces. Pingyu was speechless, then asked, “Without Gui, you wouldn’t tell me anything?”
Ping remained silent.
“Le’an, she said you’ve done something to wrong me. That’s just sweet talk, I don’t believe it.” Nezha called her by her childhood nickname, the word becoming tender as it flowed from his lips. He pressed on, using both soft and hard tactics: “You wanted to tell me just now, and you still want to tell me now, don’t you? Besides…”
He pointed his index finger at Pingyu's other hand, which wasn't holding the knife. She gripped his clothes tightly and wouldn't let go: "Look at this, you don't want to leave me either."
Pingyu's face showed no shame, but rather a hint of grievance. She truly didn't want to leave Nezha, and tears welled up again. Pingyu sniffed Nezha's scent, her nose twitching noticeably, like a lost kitten that had finally found its owner. Feeling Nezha's cold body, Pingyu whispered, "That day I went to you to escape disaster, and then my parents were taken away."
Nezha knew what Pingyu was talking about and breathed a sigh of relief.
This is more nerve-wracking than facing a thousand troops; one wrong step and everything would be lost. Given the current atmosphere, if Pingyu still refuses to reveal anything, it proves she truly doesn't like him that much.
Fortunately, Nezha thought: I made the right bet...
Nezha imitated the way Yin Shi had comforted him when he was just born, gently stroking the girl's hair with his palm, signaling her to continue.
"When I returned, the head of the guard, which had fallen into the weeds, was kicked out by the horse; the fine wine and food in the main hall were trampled on the ground; the lanterns were all broken... There was no one in the mansion. My elder sister said that my parents had been taken away by people from Chaoge to be used as human sacrifices."
"My parents are dead." Her cheeks trembled as she spoke, her emotions battling with reason, but in the end, her trust in Nezha prevailed: "The one in green took my life and died."
“Although you have now taken the form of a lotus, you still died in front of me.” Pingyu hugged him tighter, his fingertips digging into his palms, but he felt no pain. “You even died in my arms, skinned and bones dug out. I held you like this that day, but in my arms, only your head was intact.”
Pingyu had lived here for fifteen years, and almost all her family and friends were dead. Even if Nezha were alive, she had no body temperature. Holding her was so cold, her teeth chattered. Pingyu moved slightly, pressing her ear against Nezha's chest. Nezha looked down and saw the girl's pale face and the look of impending tears.
Nezha's heart was too quiet, without a sound. Pingyu's heart rate was also very low; the two living people had become like two corpses embracing each other.
Everything was fleeting, decades had passed before her eyes, leaving no trace except for Nezha. If it weren't for the Ghost Gate hanging in front of her and Lu Ya's constant admonitions, Ping Yu feared she would have wanted to die.
As she spoke, she pulled her robes aside. Her body, hidden behind the shimmering pearls of her silk dress, was gradually revealed. The slipping garments exposed several gruesome scars on the girl's back. Pigmentation had settled on her skin, resembling cracks in a tile. Each of those scars was in a vital spot.
Who hurt you?
The boy's voice revealed no emotion.
She answered softly, "Everyone."
"I am too weak, anyone can hurt me."
"Why didn't Lu Ya protect you?" Nezha lowered his head, his breath on him flowing like water over a young girl's skin. Before a cultivator abandons the six desires and seven emotions, he must also learn the art of yin and yang harmony in accordance with the principles of nature. He had wanted Ping Yu to be his Daoist partner since childhood. Covering his mouth was a form of playfulness, biting his fingertips was seduction; he actually knew nothing about how Daoist partners should conduct dual cultivation. He restrainedly rubbed his lips against him twice, like an animal licking a wound: "A teacher for a day is a father for life; he is truly incompetent."
Pingyu trembled, but still let the other person do it: "His protection of me is what harms me."
“But I will always protect you,” Nezha pressed forward, forcing Pingyu to sit on the bed inside the cook’s tent. He said, “I will teach you Taoist magic and protect you. You have never been injured so badly when you were with me.”
Ping Yu replied, "You won't stay with me forever."
"We will."
As a child, Nezha, when faced with a question from Miss Shen of Chentang Pass, unhesitatingly declared, "I would rather die than be separated from Pingyu." He waited, and now he has grown up, proving all those who doubted him wrong. Nezha is like a ripe, vermilion fruit on a tree. If Pingyu won't pick him, he'll summon the wind to help him leap into her arms: "You said you wanted to leave, that's why you don't want to accept me. I don't care about that, I just want to know if you like me."
Ping hesitated, then tried to evade the question: "I..."
"Don't lie to me," he said, growing a little angry, and pressed Pingyu down completely on the bed. Nezha used his hand to cushion the back of Pingyu's hair, forcing her to look him in the eye: "I won't listen to anything you say about leaving or not staying. I want you to tell me if you have feelings for me, if you have any affection for me. That's all I want, so give me that answer."
“I…” Pingyu stammered, trying to climb out of his grasp but unable to move. Nezha held her legs down, looking at her stubbornly. Pingyu had no other choice but to say tactfully, “I don’t hate what you did.”
"What I did to you was frivolous and reckless for a woman. I shouldn't have done that, and I won't do it again easily." Nezha cuddled her, knowing that Pingyu's silence about dislike meant affection and indulgence. He used a feigned retreat, speaking his thoughts amidst the fragrant tea: "I wanted to get closer to you. I don't understand... You're good to me, so I'm learning to be good to you too. I know you won't speak unless you push me too far, which is why I acted that way. Please don't hate me, okay?"
Nezha's eyes also welled up with tears; the sight of the beautiful young man crying actually touched Ping Yu's liking. She pursed her lips a few times, and finally, at a loss for words, squeezed out, "I won't hate you..."
Now that things had come to this, Nezha had completely seized control. He tried to make amends for his earlier offense, then sheepishly took Pingyu's hand again. His fingers deliberately squeezed between Pingyu's, and Nezha moved closer: "If you don't dislike me, why don't you be even closer to me?"
"I told you, it's not fair to you."
Ping Yu said, "I will leave. What will you do if I leave?"
“No, that’s not it,” Nezha denied her firmly. “Don’t try to fool me. I want to know what you think. Lin Pingyu, it’s unfair to me that you’re hiding your feelings. You don’t tell me anything, which makes me feel like you hate me… I’m a lotus root, but I can cry too.”
Having said that, he squeezed out two icy tears that landed on Pingyu's lips. She pursed her lips; even the lotus-like boy's tears tasted salty. Pingyu took a deep breath. Since things had come to this point... fine, might as well go all out: "I feel this isn't fair to me. If I'm with you, you'll forget me after I leave."
“I will never forget you,” Nezha retorted.
“You will,” Ping Yu pursed his lips, mustered his courage, and gave Nezha a headbutt: “My home is a thousand years away from here. When you become a god, you will forget me! Just like Lingzhuzi forgot Qingti, didn’t he?”
Two heads, both honed through cultivation, collided, and Nezha gasped in pain. He grinned and asked Pingyu, "Why is your head harder than when you were a kid?"
Pingyu was furious and embarrassed, and fiercely scolded him: "Don't you dare say I'm hard!"
Nezha surrendered, and that was no longer a topic of conversation. Returning to the earlier exchange, he and Ping Yu finally confessed their feelings to each other. Everything that had happened here was so unforgettable; she couldn't forget the dead Lin family members, she couldn't forget Nezha. Nezha was so good; Ping Yu felt she could never forget him. If they were friends, that was fine; but if they were lovers, Ping Yu would definitely burst into tears in front of the statue of the Third Prince at the temple.
How is she supposed to take the college entrance exam then?
Upon learning of Pingyu's feelings, a strange joy welled up inside Nezha. She liked him and felt he was irreplaceable. Nezha had considered Pingyu's worries, but separation wasn't a problem for him.
"Le'an," he said, "If I can wait for you for three years, I can wait for you for thirty years, three hundred years, three thousand years... You said that when I become a god, you will recognize me, which means you have also worshipped me, right?"
It must be said that Nezha is indeed very clever.
No one dislikes the little hero Nezha, and Pingyu always offers incense to him whenever he passes by the Third Prince Temple. Pingyu nodded, and Nezha suddenly broke into a smile. He was so radiant that he made Pingyu forget his troubles and only wanted to watch him smile forever. Nezha said happily, "A thousand years later you like me, a thousand years ago I liked you. I always said that in heaven we were Daoist partners, there's no reason why we wouldn't be. Pingyu, I didn't want to let you go, but after you said that, I'm willing to let you leave."
"Why..."
Pingyu felt a void in her heart at those words. Had Nezha given up on this relationship? But the truth was completely opposite to her guess. Nezha straightened up and sat upright, his Universe Ring wrapping around Pingyu from under him, lifting her to sit face-to-face in his lap. The young man held her waist, his smile growing even brighter: "The three thousand worlds are all different. Your place is too good; you won't get hurt or go hungry. Actually, leaving would be best for you... The difference between your place and here is too great. I was afraid that I would never see you again after you left, but after you became a god, you've been supporting me. Doesn't that prove we're from the same world?"
“Pingyu, you’re right, this is indeed unfair to me. You think crossing a thousand years is just a moment, and when you miss me, you can go to the temple to see me, and I will definitely respond to you and come to find you. But I can only wait for you for a thousand years… But it’s okay,” he said, “You admit that you and I are of one heart, so I feel that a thousand years is just a blink of an eye. Every day I think that I will be closer to you with each passing day, and the days will not be too hard to bear.”
Stared at by those eager eyes, Ping Yu looked away, wanting to awkwardly admit his weakness: "I haven't even told you I love you yet..."
Nezha looked at her pitifully, gazing into her eyes as she kept dodging his gaze, and asked, "Don't you love me?"
"Nothing..." Pingyu muttered to herself. She'd never been in a relationship before, how could she have been won over by this guy without any steps? Nezha's mind raced, and he asked, "So, what else do men and women do before making love where you're from?"
Pingyu thought about it and compromised.
She remembered everything about Nezha, and she didn't dislike him. But Pingyu was still worried that Nezha would forget her, so she said, "A thousand years from now, men and women must fall in love before entering into a marriage contract. If you want a title, I'll give it to you... but if you want a marriage contract, you can only do so a thousand years from now. If you can find me and remember me, I will be willing to become your wife."
Nezha replied fluently, "Okay, I'll listen to you."
He then asked, "So what do we need to do to talk about love? Can we start now?"
The boy was impatient, afraid that Pingyu might change her mind once she came to her senses. He needed to finalize things quickly so that he could legitimately be intimate with her. Nezha's eyes weren't clear, but they made Pingyu feel like a zookeeper holding a bone, with Nezha just waiting for her to throw down the bone to taste. She almost laughed and said, "Then you have to confess to me first, which means... you have to say three words!"
"Which three words?" Nezha asked.
"It's just..." Pingyu stammered, she hadn't told anyone about it yet! A blush rose on the girl's face, her voice weak and hesitant, as if afraid of being overheard: "It's just... it's just... love..."
like?
Nezha had exceptional hearing and clearly heard the word.
Beyond love and affection, his feelings for Pingyu truly matched his affection for her.
So the boy tightened his arms, pulling Pingyu towards him. Pingyu suddenly lost her balance, swaying from her face-to-face sitting position and falling into Nezha's arms. Nezha, having succeeded in his mischief, let out a clear, cheerful laugh. At this moment, he was no longer as clingy as a venomous snake, finally showing his youthful spirit. Pingyu felt him close to her earlobe, carefully whispering those three words in secret:
"I love you."
The boy's tone was earnest, each word resounding. It was as if the creature, seemingly born of nature, had grown a heart, and his words exploded in Ping Yu's ears like the echoes of a passionate heart. Pink filled the dark tent, shimmering like vibrant fireworks in Ping Yu's eyes. She was a little happy, her soft laughter flowing into Nezha's heart. It was so sweet that he couldn't help but pull away from Ping Yu, so he could look at her. Ping Yu leaned on his shoulder, slightly straightening her posture. She watched as the euphoria faded from Nezha's face, his eyes drooping. Many cats do this before doing something naughty, and Ping Yu, as if facing a formidable enemy, preemptively asked, "What do you want to do!"
"Le'an, are we lovers now?"
As Nezha spoke, his eyes brimming with affection. Pingyu felt his gaze slowly slide down her face, from the tip of her nose to her philtrum, and finally to her lips. Nezha drew closer, the scent of lotus blossoms filling the air. Pingyu unconsciously held her breath, her gaze meeting his. Just as their lips were about to meet, Nezha spoke with a questioning tone: "Le'an..."
It contained a longing: "Then, can I be close to you now?"
Author's Note: Bonus chapter complete! Next chapter will be added in 5k nutrient solution. Thank you for your support, my darlings!
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