Where the heart is, there is a home.
The two went back and forth, asking questions inside and out several times, but they tacitly avoided mentioning Chaoyun Mountain. They felt awkward with each other, but neither had the heart to reveal the joy of their long-awaited reunion.
"Has Uncle gone back?" Zhu Xun asked about the small courtyard.
Speaking of this, You Youju felt a lump in her throat again: "Yeah, it's been a long time since I've been back. Thank you for your hard work, Zhuxun." Even in middle age, one can still be so sentimental.
Summer flowers bloom in profusion, adorning the entire wall.
Outdoors, the trees and leaves are lush and vibrant, while indoors, the trees are spotless as yesterday.
The only difference is the small cenotaph next to the osmanthus tree.
Zhu Xun placed his face in You Youju's palm: "As long as you come back, no amount of time is too long."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your subordinate has something to report."
Zhu Xun seemed not to hear, and You Youju poked his head: "Zhao Hua seems to have something urgent, why don't we listen to him first?"
At that moment, Zhao Hua heard a single word: "Get lost."
Zhao Hua was embarrassed. He'd clearly heard everything! What were those two grown men talking about in there?! Wasn't Gui Chen here to confront him?!
"Your Majesty, it is an important matter." Zhao Hua transmitted his voice back, which was overheard by You Youju.
"Why don't we meet him?"
Zhu Xun smiled slightly: "This girl is always making a fuss over nothing, Uncle, you don't need to worry about her."
"roll."
Zhao Hua quickly withdrew.
You Youju wanted to say something more, but Zhu Xun didn't give him the chance: "Uncle, would you like to take a stroll in the garden with me? Uncle has always loved growing flowers and plants. I heard that there are many rare and exotic flowers and plants in Yundi Peak, and Uncle takes very good care of them. I just followed suit and added some more at the last minute."
The key alert word that was triggered was "Yundi Peak".
You Youju immediately nodded in agreement: "Wow, now that you mention it, Uncle is really looking forward to it! Let's go!"
This place is not only similar to the Drunken Spirit Garden of Yundi Peak, it is practically identical!
Amidst the blooming of a hundred flowers, You Youju felt a chill run down her spine, barely suppressing the urge to ask, "So you're A-Xun?" She instead asked, "These spiritual herbs and flowers must be hard to find, right?"
Zhu Xun peeked out from behind You Youju: "It's alright. Xun'er had never seen these spiritual herbs before, but a senior planted them and I was able to copy them. Uncle, are you satisfied?"
When Ah Xun was at Yun Di Peak, You Youju, who was temporarily too busy, asked him to take care of Zui Lingyou.
Zhu Xun plucked a flower swaying in the wind from a branch, held it to her nose to smell it, and then placed it in You Youju's hair. As she did this, her gaze remained fixed on You Youju's face.
You Youju admitted that even with his experience of many grand occasions, he couldn't help but feel nervous and sweaty at this moment. A-Xun, Zhu-Xun... They're practically the same person, aren't they? What do you mean by instant rapport? They're old acquaintances.
Recalling everything that happened at Yundi Peak, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and pretend to be stupid: "Zhu Xun does everything the best, how could I be dissatisfied?"
Zhu Xun's eyes darkened, and You Youju immediately sensed something was wrong. What exactly had she said wrong?!
"Uncle, why are you sweating?"
You Youju wiped her forehead with her sleeve: "Really? Hahaha."
Zhu Xun's expression changed rapidly: "It was my oversight. I had already instructed them to prepare a meal. Let's eat together! It's been a long time since we've spoken alone!"
"But now I..."
"Don't you want to eat? But I've often heard the disciples of Chaoyun Mountain say that Elder Guichen's cultivation is profound, yet he seems to have never given up his appetite! Chao..."
You Youju had no choice but to surrender, raising both hands: "Uncle, eat. Uncle is hungry."
You Youju suddenly realized that during the day, how could a cultivator fall ill, let alone a demon lord?
Instead of being angry, she felt guilty, which made Zhu Xun mistakenly believe that this was how she cared about him. What a fine child, and she had ruined him like this.
Seeing that You Youju was eating absentmindedly, Zhu Xun leaned closer and said, "Master? If you don't like it, then don't eat it."
Coming to his senses, he bumped into honey-eyed curly hair, and You Youju was startled and stood up. In an instant, two inexplicable feelings of guilt caught him off guard.
You Youju knew she could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb and delay, so she chose to confess.
He chose to take a roundabout approach: "Zhu Xun, if you knew you'd always had a twin brother..."
Zhu Xun had already transformed back into his original form. He took two steps forward and abruptly interrupted You Youju, not giving him a chance to beat around the bush: "I know everything."
You Youju got goosebumps all over: "You knew all this? When did you find out?"
Zhu Xun narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, and You Youju sensed a dangerous signal: "So, did Uncle know everything from the beginning?"
Huh? Did I say that? Why is my IQ completely offline when talking to this kid!
"So, Uncle, did you know from the beginning that Zhu Xun would become a demon before you taught him the Chaoyun Mountain Sword Technique? Were you with Cen Chaolan during those days when you weren't by my side? Or did you take pity on Zhu Xun because I look exactly like Cen Chaolan, and that's why you took care of him?"
The series of three questions left You Youju completely bewildered. Looking at his right hand, which Zhu Xun had grabbed and pressed against his heart, he murmured a few times but couldn't utter a sound.
"No... there is no... me."
This day was clearly destined to come, but why is it more painful than I imagined?
Should he make a choice now? He wanted to run away again.
Ke Zhuxun doesn't look good.
Zhu Xun released the hand that was pressed against his chest, his strength gone, and leaned his head down on You Youju's shoulder. He hugged You Youju, trying to get closer to her, but then he thought better of it: "It's good that it's not true, it's good that it's not true. Zhu Xun only listens to these few words, and Zhu Xun trusts his uncle."
He nuzzled nervously against You Youju's neck: "Just thinking that there are still people who can enjoy their uncle's love makes Xun'er..."
You Youju didn't know how to hug Zhu Xun back. He knew it wouldn't be good to say it like this: "Zhu Xun, one day you will leave me, one day you will be alone. Look, you've done very well even without your uncle, uh!"
Zhu Xun actually bit down on You Youju's neck, then tightened his grip for a moment as a warning, before gently pulling away and slowly rubbing his nose against the back of You Youju's ear.
"I won't let you leave."
You Youju felt a shiver run through him, and the next moment! He pulled away the bamboo slip in surprise, looked down, and exclaimed in horror, "What is that!?"
Zhu Xun pretended nothing had happened, sat down at the table and took a sip of tea: "What's wrong, Uncle? The food's getting cold, do you still want to eat?"
It's probably just a hallucination, haha.
How could that be possible under those circumstances... The problem isn't what circumstances, the problem is that if the sensation just now was real, then it's a huge mistake!
It's an illusion...it's an illusion...it's an illusion...
"It's probably fake. Hehe."
You Youju's mind was in turmoil, akin to a battle between heaven and man. Zhu Xun calmly ate a couple of bites of food and called for the food to be taken away.
"Is Uncle going back? Let's go to the 'Yin Yang Spring'."
Oh, it was the night I found Xiao Zhu Xun.
This time, they didn't need to trek through forests and caves; they easily arrived at the Yin-Yang Spring.
How much time has passed? This place feels both strange and familiar.
"Isn't Uncle coming down?"
You Youju was pulled back to her senses and wanted to take off her coat, but an inexplicable embarrassment and blush appeared on her face.
"Uncle?" Zhu Xun's eyes sparkled.
Under Takehiro's watchful gaze, he slowly took off his outer clothes and trousers, intending to enter the hot spring like this.
"What is Uncle doing?"
You Youju felt very awkward: "Uncle, you can soak it like this?"
Zhu Xun immediately stood up from the water, and You Youju subconsciously turned her head away.
"Smack!"
The next second, You Youju, who was only wearing underwear, was pulled into the water by Zhu Xun.
A damp mist hung in her ear: "Uncle, what are you afraid of? We're all men."
The two remained silent, seemingly enjoying the comfort of the hot spring.
You Youju glanced at Zhu Xun discreetly. Zhu Xun stared quietly at the water, his rose-red eyes shimmering with light. His long hair was lifted by the water, making his black hair stand out against his snow-white skin. The rosy glow brought by the spring water remained. The spring water rippled slightly, splashing onto the lines of his neck and shoulders. The light inside his cave was bright, making him look even more beautiful and warm.
In the blink of an eye, those eyes were fixed on You Youju: "What are you looking at?"
Zhu Xun slowly walked towards You Youju, but You Youju didn't give him a chance. He got up and dressed, saying, "I'm so glad to see you've grown up." Seeing that Zhu Xun didn't intend to get up, You Youju gave him a puzzled look. Zhu Xun sat down again, letting the spring water cover him, saying, "Uncle, please go out first. I'll soak for a while longer."
You Youju chuckled. Just now she was saying that since they were all men, there was no need to be shy, but now she's gone back to how she was when she was a child.
"Okay, don't soak it for too long."
A gentle summer breeze made them feel refreshed and comfortable, and the night sky still twinkled as it had in the past. They walked side by side, inhaling the fragrance of mountain flowers carried on the wind.
Zhu Xun walked close to You Youju, and several times You Youju was almost pushed into the ditch by him.
On the way back to the bamboo forest, he said, "Uncle, everything seems to have been foretold by that illusion."
You Youju pondered for a moment. It was that time in Maple Leaf Village, but his memory of it was already somewhat hazy.
Zhu Xun couldn't understand You Youju's feelings, but he could sympathize with her.
"Uncle, shall we sleep together?"
Before I knew it, I was back in that courtyard, which wasn't deserted. A lamp was still hanging on the door.
Returning here, You Youju is no longer an elder of Yundi Peak, and Zhu Xun is no longer a demon lord of the demon realm. They remain "uncle and nephew," relying on each other for survival, upholding justice, and roaming freely in the world.
The two lay on the bed, with Zhu Xun still close to You Youju.
Zhu Xun wondered if he could help You Youju share some of her worries now. There were no concrete jungles or vast deserts on Chaoyun Mountain. There were only stones, grass and trees, a group of noisy people, and Gui Chen, who had been in seclusion for years, cultivating his spiritual practice.
Can half a year really make the former You Youju so weathered and timid?
Since he didn't want to talk about it, Zhu Xun would only blame himself for not being strong enough, not being qualified enough, and not being able to be relied upon.
You Youju also wanted to say something, but she opened her mouth palely and her throat bobbed a few times.
Never mind, he wants to see Zhu Xun first.
The bamboo grove rustled, and the wind slipped through the open window into the gauze curtains, billowing in the moonlight like rolling green hills. The person beside me was breathing steadily and softly, already fast asleep.
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